La Plata’s Planning Department – What do they do!?

With the development under construction and with three annexation proposals, it's appropriate to provide an overview of the Town of Plata’s Planning Department, a subject near and dear to my heart, given my education and job experience (public and private sectors) as a certified planner. 

All the information about the Town Planning Department is available at their website – go to www.townoflplata.org>Town Government>Departments>Planning
Planning Department’s Mission:
• maintain and improve the character of our residential and commercial communities by making them more livable, walkable, accessible, and sustainable.
• Focus on customer service and the development process.
• Balance infrastructure needs and growth as the Town’s population increases.
• Provide planning analysis and recommendations that enable the best planning and development decisions and recommendations to the Planning Commission and Town Council. 
The Planning Department Coordinates all of the development-related functions across the Town and oversees planning, development, and permitting activities, and Zoning Code enforcement. The department works to implement the 2020 Comprehensive Plan. 

Let me finish this episode with an update about the first of three annexation requests - The Villages at Rosewick of three annexation requests under review the Town Council. I posted a video of this annexation request on March 23 on my Facebook Page and Next Door
• This annexation is located at the Southeast corner of the Rosewick Road, Washington Avenue intersection, 20 acres, proposing 232 apartments in 4 buildings, with supporting office and commercial space in each building.
•Planning Commission met March 1, 2022 – Public Hearing, no speakers signed up to testify
• As required, the Planning Commission recommended Neighborhood Commercial Mixed-Use zoning and annexation consistent with the 2020 Comprehensive Plan, forwarded to the Town Council 
•Town Council public hearing May 10, 2022; no public testimony, in person or written
• This annexation was approved; I voted Yes for the following reasons:
oWater/sewer service adjacent and available, included within the Town’s water/sewer projections
oTraffic impact limited to access to Rosewick Road, subject to County’s Road standards and Rosewick Road access management plan
oI consider this an “infill project, rounds out town boundary, not sprawl,  access to Rosewick Road hiker/biker trail and will provide additional sidewalks along Washington Avenue.

•The next annexation update is about the HUB:
oPlanning Commission met on March 1, 2022, and then again on April 5, 2022
oOpposition letters were provided
oPlanning Commission as required recommended Traditional Development Mixed-Use zoning, and consistency with the 2020 Comprehensive Plan
oTown Council Public Hearing was on May 24. The record for public comment is open until June 16, 2022. 
oSend an email to this address (legislative@townoflaplata.org) as you already have, and request that it be forwarded to the Town Council for consideration.
oSend letters to the Town Council addressed to 305 Queen Anne St Box 2268, La Plata MD 20646.
•Hawthorne Yards:
oPlanning Commission meeting, March 1, 2022, recommended Neighborhood Commercial Mixed-Use 
oTown Council Public Hearing to be scheduled in late June.

There will be two follow-up podcasts and videos, first about the Town’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan, and the second about the required 2021 Annual Report, to be released in July.  providing an overview of La Plata’s development trends