The Department of Planning & Zoning!
The Department of Planning & Zoning, including the Office of Inspections & Permits, is located at 205 Main St., Prince Frederick on the first and second floors of the Courthouse Square building. Mailboxes for drop-off and pick-up are located by the ground floor entrance of Courthouse Square.
Staff works varied schedules, both in the office and teleworking, and continue to provide services via email, phone and drop box or in person. All phone numbers and email addresses remain the same. For best in person customer service, please call and make an appointment.
Planning & Zoning hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Inspections & Permits Office hours are: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Department of Public Works has moved to 100 Skipjack Road and the administrative and utility billing portion of Water and Sewer is now located at the Community Resources Building at 30 Duke St. All phone numbers and email addresses remain the same.
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Staff Changes and New Hires
Please see recent staff updates below for the Department of Planning & Zoning and the Department of Public Works.
Planning & Zoning
Caitlyn Tolomei - Office Assistant II, P&Z
Kelsey Chavis - Office Assistant III, I&P
Resignations:
Paul Conover - Planning Commission Administrator, left Feb. 23, 2022
Promotions:
Jessicca Gaetano - promoted to Planner II Long Range
Kathleen “Kat” Lockwood - promoted to Planner I Long Range
Jennifer David - hired as Planner II Rural Preservation
Christine Goldsmith - promoted to Development Review Coordinator
Vacancies:
Planning Commission Administrator
Planner I Preservation
Planner II Environmental
Planner III Environmental
Board of Appeals Clerk
I&P Permit Technician I
Department of Public Works
Ashley Henderson – Executive Administrative Assistant II
Daniel Cox – Crew Leader Highway Maintenance Division
Carolyn Cooksey – Custodian, General Services (starting April 14, 2022)
Vacancies:
Operator II positions (3) – Highway Maintenance Division
Engineering Division Chief
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Electronic Submittals - Requested Naming Conventions |
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To help with expediting the intake and review process, it would be extremely helpful if all files followed a naming convention.
The following is an example:
CALVERT ADMIN BLDG Plan 1 CSPR-138334 Arch Elevation Drawings
CALVERT ADMIN BLDG – Project name
Plan 1 – version FOR THIS PACKAGE
CSPR-138334 – the assigned project number FOR THIS PACKAGE! Please make sure that the number is not a concept number placed on a site plan, for example.
Arch Elevation Drawings – brief description of this document
Or
CALVERT ADMIN BLDG Plan 4 SPR-142733 Forest Stand Delineation Pkg (FC-107-03)
SPR-142733 – project number
Plan 4 – version FOR THIS PACKAGE
Forest Stand Delineation Pkg – brief description, please use common abbreviations when possible
(FC-107-03) – form number, optional
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Tolling Information
The Maryland State of Emergency was proclaimed on March 5, 2020 (signed March 12) and Calvert County’s on March 17, 2020. The Maryland State of Emergency ended July 4, 2021, and the tolling ended 30 days after which was Aug. 4, 2021.
The applicant or engineer will need to determine the expiration date of the plan or permit that is under review or approved (see Calvert County Zoning Ordinance Section 4-2 for site plans, Section 7-1.07.B.8 for subdivisions and Section 105.3.2 of the County Building Code for permits). This is necessary to calculate the remaining time that the plan was valid from the date of the initiation of tolling March 5, 2020. This number of days will be added, starting with Aug. 5, 2021, to calculate the new expiration date. Please reference this for all applicable projects and permits with any submittals in a chart form for staff to review and approve. Staff will approve the summary and new expiration date when submitted.
Example:
- BBQ Bob site plan– approved on Jan. 1, 2019 with an expiration of Jan. 1, 2021
- Calculate the number of days from March 5, 2020 to Jan. 1, 2021 = X
- Add X number of days starting on Aug. 5, 2021 = new expiration date based on tolling
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Planning Commission Meetings for 2022:
The Planning Commission (PC) meetings are being held as a hybrid meeting with the PC members attending in person and a virtual option available via Zoom.
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Board of Appeals
The Board of Appeals meets monthly to consider variances, special exceptions and decisions on alleged error cases. The 2022 BOA schedule, agendas and information may be accessed via the link below:
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TEG/SEG Dates and Information
The Technical Evaluation Group (TEG) and the Subdivision Evaluation Group (SEG) reviews site plans and subdivisions to ensure proposed and existing commercial development complies with all county ordinances and state regulations.
TEG meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month (except for November and December, due to the holidays). The meetings begin at 8:30 a.m. and are held virtually.
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Town Center Master Plan and Zoning Updates
Prince Frederick
The Calvert County Planning Commission endorsed a three-phased process to update the Town Center master plans: issue identification, plan development and plan adoption. The Prince Frederick Master Plan Update is currently in the second phase. A public meeting on the Dunkirk and Prince Frederick Town Center Bikeways Feasibility Study was held on Jan. 11, 2021. The meeting was recorded and is available for viewing online at:
The Planning Commission concluded its review and discussion of the Prince Frederick Town Center Master Plan, July 2021 Draft at its meeting on Feb. 16, 2022. Staff is preparing a revised draft master plan based upon direction provided by the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission will review the revised draft plan at a future Planning Commission meeting and decide whether to make additional revisions. Once the Planning Commission is satisfied with the draft plan, the Planning Commission will direct staff to distribute the draft plan to the state and regional agencies for review at least 60 days in advance of the Planning Commission’s public hearing and provide it to the public for comment. The agencies and the public will be invited to provide comments in writing or give them orally at the public hearing. The Planning Commission will consider comments and may revise the draft plan. The Planning Commission’s next step will be to vote on plan and make a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners to adopt the updated master plan. The Board must hold a public hearing on the plan before adopting or modifying the plan. At this stage, agencies and the public have an opportunity to provide comments on the draft plan to the Board, by providing written comments and/or speaking at the public hearing.
Dunkirk
At its meeting on March 16, 2022, the Calvert County Planning Commission voted to move the Dunkirk Town Center Master Plan Update project into the second phase of the update process: plan development. In addition, the Planning Commission directed staff to further explore transportation concerns and develop possible solutions with the assistance of a Town Center consultant.
During the first phase, issue identification, staff hosted four public meetings on the Dunkirk Town Center Master Plan update on behalf of the Calvert County Planning Commission. Also, during the first phase, staff met with several county committees and commissions and two community groups. Based upon participants’ input at the public meetings, including responses to the surveys and ideas at the Survey Results Workshop, staff recommended, and the Planning Commission acknowledged three focus area topics: land use, economic vitality and roads, traffic and public walkways. A public informational meeting on these topics was held on Dec. 6, 2021. A public meeting on the Dunkirk and Prince Frederick Town Center Bikeways Feasibility Study was held on Jan. 11, 2021. The meeting was recorded and is available for viewing online at:
The Communications & Media Relations division completed two “Breaking News” videos: Dunkirk Outdoor Recreation Amenities and Septic School. The Septic School video features Dr. Andrew Lazur, a University of Maryland water quality specialist, who was a guest speaker at the public informational meeting on Dec. 6, 2021. The videos were posted to the county’s Facebook and YouTube sites.
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Updates to the Calvert County Zoning Ordinance and Official Zoning Maps are Underway
The ordinance rewrite and map revisions are being completed following the adoption of the Calvert County Comprehensive Plan. As required by the State Land Use Law, the ordinance must be consistent with the adopted comprehensive plan. Additionally, the ordinance is being reorganized and reformatted to be more user friendly for citizens to look up the county’s zoning regulations. Ordinance chapters are being combined for ease in finding information. Keep watching the Calvert 2040 webpage on the County’s website for updates including schedules for citizen participation to provide input on the draft ordinance and map.
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Upcoming Holidays
Good Friday - Friday, April 15
Memorial Day - Monday, May 30
Juneteenth National Independence Day - Monday, June 20
Independence Day - Monday, July 4
Labor Day - Monday, Sep. 5
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410-535-1600, ext. 2379, if there are topics of interest or information
you'd like included.
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Carolyn Sunderland, AICP
Deputy Director of Planning & Zoning
410-535-1600, ext. 2380
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Olivia Vidotto
Planner III
410-535-1600, ext. 2379
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