Hughesville rezoning saga takes another twist

Chaney wants commercial, not industrial

Friday, April 24, 2009

Chaney Enterprises Inc. has submitted a formal request to amend its application to rezone 150 acres in Hughesville to the heavy industrial zone and instead seek approval for a community commercial zone.

"We were not coming to any solutions with the heavy industrial application," said Jan Holt, chief customer officer for Chaney Enterprises Inc. "This was done really because it's what fits in with the town's plan for growth."

The Waldorf-based surface mining company found itself in the spotlight early last year when Frank Chaney II, president of the board of the company, asked for the rezoning of the parcel in Hughesville from agricultural conservation and village residential zones to heavy industrial in case the company needed to relocate a gravel wash plant to the area.

The property in question lies west of the Hughesville Post Office and the Brookleigh Woods subdivision on Prince Frederick Road.

When the company presented the rezoning amendment to the commissioners in late June, the legislation came with a 3-2 vote by the planning commission to recommend the request and the concern and anger of about 100 residents who were worried about the future of their neighborhood.

"There are large trucks running up and down Prince Frederick Road now," said Larry Johnson, an Indian Creek Estates resident, during last year's planning commission hearing on the request. "This is a nice, quiet community, but we've got our share of traffic. We don't need any more."

More than 200 additional written public comments were accepted for the record once the amendment reached the commissioners' desks, and by the middle of the summer the county had postponed its decision on the matter until traffic, noise and light pollution were addressed in a modified plan.

The most recent request, for the community commercial zone, was filed March 23 by Chaney's counsel.

Charles County Acting Director of Planning Brad Faasen said since the new request for commercial zoning is an amendment of the original request, for the heavy industrial zoning, it is technically not a new proposal and still falls within the jurisdiction of the commissioners. A planning commission recommendation is not required, though the commissioners are welcome to ask for it.

"Community commercial allows for more retail and offices," Faasen said. "It's more in keeping with the [Hughesville Village] Revitalization Plan. It's more fitting for the area, and for change."

While IH zoning "can be quite unsightly and intense," said County Attorney Roger Fink, the commercial zoning requires a higher standard of site design.

Office buildings and retail areas were the examples Faasen gave of the types of uses allowed within community commercial zones.

Shelley Wagner, the county's program manager for subdivision and site plan review, said there has been no discussion of plans for the space.

Despite Chaney scrapping the plans for an industrial zone, the Hughesville residents who attended the commissioners' meeting Wednesday remain unconvinced of the benefit of Chaney's presence in their backyards.

Wearing a bright green "Preserve Hughesville" T-shirt, Pauleen Brewer joined 20 of her fellow Hughesville residents in the front rows of the meeting room, waiting to hear what will be the next move for the county and Chaney.

Brewer is not only worried about what sort of buildings could go up in the zone, but also the fate of the village's main street, Leonardtown Road.

Brewer said the purpose of a village is to provide services to local businesses and residents. This not only sustains the area, but promotes managed growth.

msomers@somdnews.com