Editorial Opinion

What does Rural Preservation District mean?

LEONARDTOWN --- Several issues are on the agenda of the St. Mary's Commissioners on Tuesday, Jan. 15th.   
One is an effort of Chaney Enterprises to get sewage hookups for a large parcel currently being used by them for gravel mining in Loveville.  Chaney poses as a great corporate citizen while it proposes to push more dense development into the area of St. Mary's designated for light development in order to put less pressure on the rural areas. 

The history of the sewer line running out to the nearby Banneker Loveville School complex is one of corruption and special fixes.

 There was extreme pressure on the county to run sewer out to Loveville, supposedly to serve the school but as former Health Dept. Environmental Director Tom Russell pointed out to Commissioner Larry Jarboe, the septic systems for the school were not in a state of failure and the school was right next to the gravel mine operation, which denotes an excellent perc area. 

Chaney brought down the former director of planning for the Ehrlich Administration, former Bowie Mayor Audrey Scott, to lobby for them at a public hearing on the matter last fall. 

Scott said that Chaney deserved to be able to densely develop the property in spite of the fact that the county's zoning plan doesn't support it because the firm donates lots of money to worthy causes.
Another is the effort of former county attorney John Norris to get a higher density zoning for his clients on a large parcel on St. Andrews Church Road. 

A big part of this property is not in the development district and the county should not extend the development district for this developer any more than they did in prior decisions.

 Let the development boom in the district and not outside of it.  

Adding 800 homes which will access St. Andrews Church Road will put this road into complete failure.  

Commissioners need to get on board Sen. Dyson's commuter rail and understand its high time to get the traffic off the road and onto rails.  With gas over $3 a gallon, the time has come for trains to roll on the old railroad right of way, which is owned by St. Mary's County.