Join us this Tues 8/06/2019 from 6pm to 8pm for National Night Out(NNO). Meet us at the picnic tables in the heart of Huntingtown at 4300 Hunting Creek Rd. This is a community building event which promotes neighbor camaraderie and police-community partnerships.

We have invited the Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Department (HVFD) & the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police (MSP), the Maryland Natural Resources Police and the National Capital Police.

(The address is 4300 Hunting Creek Rd or the corner of Old Town Rd & Huntingtown Rd.) We will have light refreshments & snacks. We invite you to stop by, or eat your picnic dinner with us. If you want, bring something your grew or made and have too much us in the hope of trading it with your neighbors. Stop by especially if you don’t have a neighborhood or yours is not hosting a NNO event itself.

(Our event is on the Huntingtown Citizens Association Facebook page.)

The BoCC needs to hear your 2 cents about the future development of Calvert! Have you planned to attend next week’s Tuesday July 23, 2019 5pm Public Hearing on the Comprehensive Plan? Yep, it starts at 5pm…how convenient.

Highlights  Lowlights:

1. Huntingtown Town Center (TC) has lost it’s “Minor” designation. Get ready to grow.
2. Expansion of Huntingtown TC across MD4 at Cox Rd will be voted on again, even though the last vote was ttied. (Mr. Hutchins & Mr. Hart in favor, Mr. Hance & Mr. Weems opposed, & Mr. McConkey obstaining since he owns 22 & 28 Cox Rd and would financially benefit.)
3. Increased residential density around town centers. Will an apartment complex be one mile from your house? How many units per acre…24?
4. We paid $$ for a Transportation Plan, but can’t wait 3 weeks to get the stats from it? Would the numbers show the build-out plans are too much?
5. Is there a dam to hold back commercial development until the roads, sewer, schools, aquifers, etc. can handle it…or are we flooded with development?

Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors! Do they know the Comprehensive Plan is THE policy document from which all other decisions in Calvert are made?

Are you going to be involved, or will you let other people make the decisions that affect your town, your home value, your taxes, and your quality of life? Show up on July 23, 2019 at 5pm to at least listen and learn.  Stand up and speak for 2 minutes.

If you can’t make it, you can still e-mail commiss@calvertcountymd.gov to have your concerns logged into the public record.

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Huntingtown is no longer a Minor Town Center and Prince Frederick is no longer a Major Town Center. Both have the same title, just TOWN CENTER. This is if the BoCC has their way. But size does matter!

The BoCC just decided the above this week. We need you!  Attend and speak at 5pm the evening of Tuesday July 23, 2019 at the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan. It will be at the Calvert Pines Senior Center, 450 West Dares Beach Rd in Prince Frederick. Mark your calendars now!

This is the last required public meeting before the BoCC could adopt the Comp Plan. Also at this meeting, the BoCC will make a final decision on expanding Huntingtown (minor?major?) Town Center across MD4 at Cox Rd. They came to a tie vote on this, with Mr. McConkey doing the ethical thing and not voting due to his ownership of two parcels in the proposed expansion area, but BoCC attorney says that both options are still on the table.

More info coming soon. Add July 23 to your calendars today! Share with your neighbors & friends throughout the County.

What would happen if there would no longer be Major League and Minor League baseball…and instead the teams would all be the same level? What about no college Majors and Minors…just take the classes you like w/no particular focus.

Please contact Huntingtown Citizens Association (HCA) if you need further information.

BoCC halted their discussion on expanding Huntingtown Town Center across MD 4 and plan to pick it up again at the June 4, 2019 BoCC meeting beginning at 10am.  (When the meeting agenda is released after Memorial Day, it will be here and show a more precise time for this topic.  Just pop in at that time.) We urge you to attend. You can speak directly to the BoCC during the public comment period. You can also e-mail your five elected commissioners here:   commiss@calvertcountymd.gov

Why is this important? Expanding our TC means those lands will no longer be zoned mostly residential district or rural community district. They will instead be zoned Town Center district, which can have much larger retail/commercial establishments. (Think drive through or gas station.)  Town Center district can also have much greater density housing than it’s current zoning. (Think multi-family dwellings.) How will those things affect your drive through the traffic at the MD 4 and Cox Rd interesection?

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We are starting to feel like we’ve got terrible cell reception. Our Huntingtown friends and neighbors submitted 88 comments on the 2nd draft and 72 comments on the current 3rd draft of the Calvert County Comprehensive Plan.  No one seemed to ask for or want to expand Huntingtown Town Center(TC) across MD 4 at the Cox Rd intersection, yet this idea popped up in the 1st draft anyway.

The Planning Commission (PC) appointed by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) forwarded the current 3rd draft with Huntingtown TC only expanding to include the High School property. We felt this was a slippery slope towards further expansion, and in fact we are slipping…

The BOCC agenda for next Tues 05/14/2019 has agenda item IV on the Comp Plan with a powerpoint. Check out page Huntingtown TC on page 10, where they depict reverting back to adding in all the property south of HHS to the Cox Rd intersection and south of the intersection. Who is the BOCC listening to? It does not seem to be the Huntingtown citizens that have written in comments, spoken at public hearings or participated in the workshops at the birth of this plan. See below for proposed maps.

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Next Tuesday April 30th at 7pm could be the end of the Calvert County Comprehensive Plan process.  The Board of Count Commissioners (BOCC) gave themselves the authority to make ANY changes they wish to the Plan, accept the plan as is, or send it back to the PC for more work. This could happen at the Comp Plan public hearing set for 7pm on Tuesday April 30th at the Calvert Pines Senior Center in Prince Frederick. That is why you need to be there; to speak directly to the 5 BOCC members on how you feel Huntingtown should or should not be developed.

Why does this matter to us in Huntingtown you ask?

Huntingtown Town Center, currently only on the west side of Rt 4, is supposed to be a walkable, friendly town area. But it is set to expand to the east side of Rt 4 to include Huntingtown High school in the current Plan. Is this a slippery slope?  Will the BOCC revert back to previous proposals, NOT made by Huntingtown residents, to also include properties south of the High school along Rt 4 and Cox Rd. Would the member who owns property in this strip and likely to benefit financially from that move recuse himself from the voting?

Why is this a big deal you ask?  Property in a Town Center can be developed greater and with more residential density than property outside a Town Center. So the private houses, old nursery and small businesses could instantly become way bigger commercial retail spaces, gas stations, etc. How would that affect your commute through Rt 4 at the Cox Rd intersection? Can your high school kids navigate through that safely?

Hundreds of people have submitted comments on this Plan, but have those letters been read and listened to?  Our last count had over 700 comments on this current Plan draft with about 15% coming from Huntingtown citizens. Have you been heard? The majority of writers, with the exception of a handful, want to keep Huntingtown that way it is, a small friendly community of people who recognize each other when they stop in for ice cream or see each other at the ball fields.

(Send your comments in here by 4/29 to be in the record, but let’s face it. You had better come in person on 4/30 and speak your comments out load to be sure they are heard by the BOCC.)

And this does not even touch the iceberg of things in the Comp Plan that might affect you:

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Exercise your privilege as a citizen of the United States of America and cast your ballot this week on Election Day, Tuesday November 6, 2018! True, there is no Presidential election this year, but there are races right here in Calvert County that will have a lasting impact on your every day life.

Visit this site from Maryland Board of Elections to enter in your address and find your polling location. All polls are open on Tuesday, Nov 6th from 7am to 8pm.  If you want to check your address of record, look it up here.

Calvert County is run by five members of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). Two of them are at-large members who can hail from anywhere in the county.  The other three members must live in one of each of the districts: North 003, Middle 002, or South 001. (Use this interactive map to see which district you are in. ** ) As a voter, you choose one candidate in each of the three districts, and two candidates from the at-large candidates. Remember, that it takes only 3 of the 5 commissioners to vote on something for it to pass. So you need to choose wisely concerning all your commissioner selections.

These BOCC commissioners will finish up the Comprehensive Plan, and decide things like the expansion of Huntingtown across MD 2/4 at the Cox Rd intersection, if Dunkirk expands to become a Major Town Center like Prince Frederick, if Lusby & Solomons are combined together to form one huge Major Town Center, and if residential areas around town centers get increased housing density.

The site www.Vote411.org will show you a list of candidates in each race with their photos, bio, and responses to a few key questions.  You pick which candidate(s) you want and it will print out a personalized ballot for you to bring with you on election day.

The Sustainable Calvert Network conducted a forum and asked Board of County Commissioner (BOCC) candidates questions concerning preserving our rural character. Not all candidates responded, but those that did have their responses here.

Local newspapers like the Calvert Recorder and Calvert County Times published information on all candidates and the local political party web site also have info on candidates.

Please encourage your Huntingtown friends & neighbors to vote too!

Stay informed with Huntingtown information by following us on Twitter or FB , visiting our website www.Huntingtowncitizensassociation.com, or contacting us by e-mail at huntingtowncitizens@gmail.com

**For Huntingtown, you are likely in District 002 if you live on the west side of MD 2/4 .  If you live on the east side of MD 2/4 you are in District 003 with Dunkirk and Owings, but only if you live north of Plum Point Rd. South of Plum Point Rd is District 002 again, which extends south past Prince Frederick. District 001 area begins in St Leonard and goes south to include CRE, Lusby and Solomons.

We have 2 days until Friday 10/26/2018, 4pm to send in comments on Chapter 3 (Land Use) of the Comprehensive Plan(The Plan). E-mail  comments with “Comp Plan 2040” in the subject line to:  pz@calvertcountymd.gov

WHY?

The Comp Plan is THE POLICY DOCUMENT for Calvert County.  The Planning Commission (PC), the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and all departments use it to create the zoning ordinance, evaluate development projects and create town specific plans. Speak up now or forever hold your peace (until 10 years from now).

Chapter 3 Land Use begins on pg33 in this PDF of the Comp Plan and ends on pg58.

By 2040 Calvert will have at least 100,450 residents in 37,600 households. What will happen if Town Center borders are expanded, AND the density in them is increased, AND more Major Town Center are added AND the residential area around Town Centers also have increased density ? (Page 42, 3-10.)

What would your commute be like if Dunkirk becomes a Major Town Center(TC) like Prince Frederick? Could you get south over the bridge to work near PAX if both Lusby and Solomons are combined into one big Major TC?

How many more vehicles will be jamming up traffic?  Can our roads accommodate those vehicles in an emergency? Can our volunteer firefighters & EMS keep up with their calls for service?  If not, how much more would $$$ would we pay in taxes when our all volunteer unpaid fire and EMS crews become paid?

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Join the Huntingtown Citizens Association (HCA) on Tuesday October 23rd from 7pm-8:30pm at the Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Dept to hear how the 2040 Draft of the Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) will affect Huntingtown residents.  We will bring the plan and local maps for an informal question and answer session. We’ve attended all the meetings, and will share what we have learned.. Please park in the rear of the HVFD building, enter near the picnic benches and go upstairs to the small meeting room at the end of the hall. View our Facebook page here and like to follow.

Plan to discuss things like possible expansion of the Huntingtown Town Center borders, developer funded water and sewer service, residential density increases, how changing Dunkirk from minor to Major Town Center will affect us, as well as any other concerns you might have. Can’t attend? Please share this with a neighbor or friend and ask the to come, especially those who might not be internet users.

Comments on Chapter 3 of the Comp Plan on Land Use are due this Friday October 26th to the Planning Commission by e-mail to pz@calvertcountymd.gov. (Please put “Comp Plan” in the subject line. ) You can find the entire draft here. Scroll to section 3-1 on page 33 for the start of Chapter 3 on Land Use.

This will be your LAST chance to share your thoughts and comments on the Plan, before a final version is made, sent out to local and state agencies for a 60 day review period and before a joint Planning Commission (PC) and Board of Count Commissioners (BOCC) hearing is scheduled. Though 2 minutes of comment per citizen are allowed at that meeting, at that point the document is all but finished and comments are likely ineffective.