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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Working Draft
Centreville Community Plan
April – May Working Draft
April 27, 2022
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Adopting Resolution
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Acknowledgement Page
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Table of Contents
I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 6
PURPOSE OF THE PLAN UPDATE ........................................................................................................................................ 6
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT .................................................................................................................................................... 7
CENTREVILLE, DOING ITS PART ......................................................................................................................................... 8
VISION STATEMENT ........................................................................................................................................................ 9
ORGANIZATION OF THE PLAN ......................................................................................................................................... 10
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................................................. 10
II. THE POPULATION OF CENTREVILLE ................................................................................................................. 11
LOCATION .................................................................................................................................................................. 11
POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLDS ..................................................................................................................................... 12
Age ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Household Structure and Families ...................................................................................................................... 15
ECONOMIC CHARACTER AND INDICATORS ......................................................................................................................... 16
Labor Force ......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Household Income .............................................................................................................................................. 17
LOCATION OF EMPLOYMENT .......................................................................................................................................... 17
III. MUNICIPAL GROWTH .................................................................................................................................... 18
ZONED DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY .................................................................................................................................... 18
Establishing a Baseline ....................................................................................................................................... 18
The Development Pipeline .................................................................................................................................. 18
Capacity for New Housing .................................................................................................................................. 19
PROJECTIONS OF HOUSEHOLD GROWTH ........................................................................................................................... 21
Alternative Projections ....................................................................................................................................... 21
Forecast 2040 ..................................................................................................................................................... 22
Impacts of Planned Growth ................................................................................................................................ 23
DESIGNATED GROWTH AREA ......................................................................................................................................... 23
Size and Location ................................................................................................................................................ 23
Planned Land Use ............................................................................................................................................... 24
IV. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT .............................................................................................................................. 26
EXISTING CONDITIONS .................................................................................................................................................. 26
Corsica River, Tributary Streams, and Stream Buffers ........................................................................................ 26
Floodplains ......................................................................................................................................................... 27
Wetlands ............................................................................................................................................................ 27
Steep Slopes ........................................................................................................................................................ 30
Forests ................................................................................................................................................................ 30
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Chesapeake Bay Critical Area ............................................................................................................................. 31
Impacts of Sea Level Rise .................................................................................................................................... 33
A PLAN FOR NATURAL RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................. 34
Objectives ........................................................................................................................................................... 34
Recommendations .............................................................................................................................................. 35
V. WATER RESOURCES .................................................................................................................................... 38
VI. LAND USE ...................................................................................................................................................... 39
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................... 39
EXISTING PATTERN OF USE ............................................................................................................................................ 39
THE PLAN FOR LAND USE .............................................................................................................................................. 41
Objectives ........................................................................................................................................................... 41
Future Land Use Map ......................................................................................................................................... 43
RESOURCE CONSERVATION ............................................................................................................................................ 43
HIGH DENSITY RESIDENTIAL ........................................................................................................................................... 44
Recommendations .............................................................................................................................................. 45
VII. HOUSING ...................................................................................................................................................... 46
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................... 46
EXISTING CONDITIONS .................................................................................................................................................. 46
Affordability in Centreville .................................................................................................................................. 46
Other Characteristics of Housing in Centreville .................................................................................................. 48
Housing for Lower Income Households .............................................................................................................. 50
Senior Housing .................................................................................................................................................... 52
A PLAN FOR HOUSING .................................................................................................................................................. 53
Objectives ........................................................................................................................................................... 53
Recommendations .............................................................................................................................................. 53
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................................................. 55
VIII. TRANSPORTATION ................................................................................................................................. 56
IX. COMMUNITY FACILITIES ................................................................................................................................ 56
X. COMMUNITY DESIGN AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION ..................................................................................... 56
XI. IMPLEMENTATION ......................................................................................................................................... 56
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
I. Introduction
Purpose of the Plan Update
This is the 2020 Update of the 2009 Centreville Community Plan, the Town’s official
comprehensive plan and guide to growth and development. It was written by the Centreville
Planning Commission as required by Maryland law and in service to the people of Centreville,
those here today and those that will be here in the future.
This is an update of the current 2009 Plan; it is not a wholesale reappraisal. It keeps the course
we set a decade ago while recognizing that, from time to time, it is essential to turn the boat
into the wind to make progress. So, this 2020 Plan Update, not only refines and details long
held and prevailing ideas, it resolves to make difficult policy decisions that will shape the Town
through 2040.
The general purpose of comprehensive planning is to bring about the careful development of a
community and the conservation of what residents find exceptional. This has been the
continuous goal of Centreville’s Community Plan since it was first adopted in 1966 and it
remains so today1. But now, in 2020, we also focus on five specific goals, as follows:
Provide direction on how to expand the municipal water and sewer system. No other class of
infrastructure is as essential to the sound and healthy development of a town as its water and
sewer systems. The Town’s systems are nearing their capacity and must be improved and
expanded to achieve the long-standing goals of the Community Plan.
Develop the local economy, the commercial tax base, and ensure the strong and resilient fiscal
health of our local government. The Town’s reserve of land for commercial or light industrial
development is mostly developed. Some intensification may be feasible in the future but
additional space for employment will be needed for the future and to position the Town to
capitalize of broad regional trends in development and transportation.
1 The Town adopted its first comprehensive plan (and zoning ordinance) in 1966, with amendments in 1974 and 1981. The first Plan
Update was adopted in 1988, which then was amended in 1992 and 1998. The next Update, which is the Plan in effect at the time of
this writing, was adopted in 2009.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Organize the character and function of the Town’s existing and future streets and the
development that will front them. People fully experience a place by moving through it and a
community’s streets and avenues shape its enduring character. The Town’s is poised to grow so
planning now for the intended character and function of major streets will guide development
in lasting ways.
Show how to interconnect existing and future neighborhoods with outstanding open spaces
and greenways that will impart a character of good health, small town vitality, and scenic
beauty. The Town is planned to expand, mostly to the northwest, west, south, and southeast. It
could grow as fragmented and separated places or in a way that brings about interconnected
parks, walkways, and the far-reaching conservation of natural resources.
Guide the location, layout, and character of future neighborhoods. Open lands in and around
the Town could be developed as conventional single-use residential subdivisions or in ways that
distinguish them as excellent neighborhoods unique to Centreville. Left to chance, land
development seldom organizes itself into coherent extensions of existing or historic patterns.
This Plan Update does not depart significantly from the current 2009 plan. Instead, it provides
more detailed guidance, while addressing the needs of today and aiming to create the best
conditions for the Town’s future. Each of the above ideas represents some refinement to the
policy guidance and goals in the current plan.
Public Engagement
Seeking community input, the Planning Commission conducted multiple open work sessions in
the Winter and Spring 2020 and a public workshop in the Summer. The aim of the workshop was
to collect advice and opinions on the Plan Update and to synthesize them into a renewed
guiding vision statement about the Town’s future. Then through the Summer and Fall of 2020,
we held more open work sessions to reflect on what was learned and to draw nearer to the
Plan’s recommendations as described in this document. We held a public hearing on a draft on
________________ and then on ___________ we voted unanimously to approve this 2020 Plan
Update and to transmit it to the Town Council with a recommendation for adoption.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Centreville, Doing Its Part
The State’s guiding visions for comprehensive plans summarize the minimum criteria by which
any comprehensive plan in the State is judged to be valid. These explain why no town, city, or
county can shut its doors to growth, or allow haphazard development, or disregard planning for
public infrastructure, or neglect economic development. Local governments that regulate land
use development must adopt comprehensive plans aligned with these 12 Visions:
Vision - 1. A high quality of life is achieved through universal stewardship of the land, water, and air
resulting in sustainable communities and protection of the environment.
Vision - 2. Citizens are active partners in planning and implementing community initiatives and are
sensitive to their responsibilities in achieving community goals.
Vision - 3. Growth is concentrated in existing population and business centers, growth areas adjacent
to these centers, or strategically selected new centers.
Vision - 4. Compact, mixed use, walkable design consistent with existing community character and
located near available or planned transit options is encouraged to ensure efficient use of
land and transportation resources and preservation and enhancement of natural systems,
open spaces, recreational areas, and historical, cultural, and archeological resources.
Vision - 5. Growth areas have the water resources and infrastructure to accommodate population and
business expansion in an orderly, efficient, and environmentally sustainable manner.
Vision - 6. A well-maintained multimodal transportation system facilitates the safe, convenient,
affordable, and efficient movement of people, goods, and services within and between
population and business centers.
Vision - 7. A range of housing densities, types, and sizes provides residential options for citizens of all
ages and incomes.
Vision - 8. Economic development and natural resource-based businesses that promote employment
opportunities for all income levels within the capacity of the State’s natural resources,
public services, and public facilities are encouraged.
Vision - 9. Land and water resources, including the Chesapeake and coastal bays, are carefully
managed to restore and maintain heathy air and water, natural systems and living
resources.
Vision - 10. Waterways, forests, agricultural areas, open space, natural systems, and scenic areas are
conserved.
Vision - 11. Government, business entities, and residents are responsible for the creation of sustainable
communities by collaborating to balance efficient growth with resource protection.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Vision - 12. Strategies, policies, programs, and funding for growth and development, resource
conservation, infrastructure and transportation are integrated across the local, regional,
state, and interstate levels to achieve these Visions.
The above visions also form the context for coordination between the Town and Queen Anne’s
County in both planning and “implementing strategies”. For example, the towns in Queen
Anne’s County are among “the existing population centers” to which the County is called to
direct growth. And just as the County’s planning directs growth to Centreville, the State’s
visions oblige the County to implement complementary strategies, such as sharing in the
municipal costs of providing essential facilities and services, which is recommended in this Plan
Update.
Vision Statement
While State law outlines the essential and shared focus for comprehensive planning in
Maryland, it is a local and publicly supported vision that gives life and meaning to a plan. A
local vision is future oriented. It explains why one town’s plan is, at its heart, different than all
other plans. A vision is a marker in time against which each succeeding generation can compare
their experience. The vision statement below, that emerged from the public engagement
process was written from the perspective of 20 years in the future. It is as follows:
Text to be inserted
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Organization of the Plan
Following the next two chapters about population and existing conditions respectively, this
report is organized into five interrelated chapters, each focusing on a major functional or policy
area: Municipal Growth, Natural Environment, Land Use, Mobility, Community Facilities, and
Water Resources. Each chapter contains goals and recommendations. The last chapter focuses
on implementation, including a section concerning the regulation of land use and development.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we understand that the Plan described in this report will not be realized in the
short term or exactly as conceptualized. Our aim is to anticipate the needs of the future and
encourage growth, development, and conservation toward the greatest good possible.
Departures from this Plan may, from time to time, be suggested; future information and a wider
knowledge may point to better solutions or unforeseen opportunities. In such cases, it is our
intention that such departures be studied and if found justified considering the Plan’s long term
goals, they should be accepted by amending this Plan in the same way it was adopted.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
II. The Population of Centreville
Location
The Town of Centreville is centrally located within Maryland’s upper eastern shore region, 55
miles south of Wilmington, Delaware and 35 east of Baltimore, Maryland along US Route 301.
The region, composed of five mostly rural counties, is home to 243,245 people (4% of the State)
and 123,400 jobs2. Centreville is the county seat of Queen Ann’s County.
Insert Location Map
2 Population: 2019 estimate by U.S. Census, Maryland State Data Center. Jobs by place, MD State Data Center, 2020 projected.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Population and Households
Decade by decade, between 1960 and 2000, Centreville’s population remained within a narrow
band changing only by plus 107 residents as shown below. But between 2000 and 2010 the
population surged, growing at an unprecedent average annual rate of 8.1%, adding 2,315
residents and more than doubling in just 10 years3. The current 2020 population is estimated to
be 4,815.
Households, which are occupied housing units, increased rapidly too between 2000 and 2010,
as would be expected. During the decade, 761 households were added to the Town bringing
the total to 1,568. Between 2011 and 2020, 278 more units were added, bring the total for 2020
to 1,846. Households are the “demand units” for most municipal facilities and services. For
example, the number of households is multiplied by the average water demand to estimate
demand for municipal water. In the next chapter (Municipal Growth) as we look to what future
conditions may bring, we will prepare projections using the number of households.
3 By comparison, over the full 60 years since 1960, the Town has grown at an average annual rate of 1.6 percent.
12
368,1 358,1
810,2 790,2 079,1
582,4
518,4
POPULATION CENTREVILLE: 1960-2020
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
For decades the Town’s share of Queen Anne’s County’s population and households fell, from
a high of 12.4 percent in 1950 to a low of 4.9 percent by 2000 as shown in the chart below. This
was the primarily the result of the County build-out of Kent Island combined with essentially no
growth in Town (or in any of the County’s municipalities). But by 2010, the Town’s share of the
County population had been restored to its 1960 level before dropping recently to about 10.5
percent. As of 2018, the latest year data are available, the population of all the towns in the
County, made up only 14.2 percent of the County’s population4.
12.2%
11.2% 11.2%
10.5%
10.1%
7.9%
6.2%
4.9%
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
4
This is in stark contrast to the other counties in the Upper Eastern Shore region: 29% of Cecil County’s 2018 population is
municipal; 36.3% in Caroline County; 40.2 % in Kent County, and 52.0% in Talbot County, per MD Department of Planning , State
Data Center and Source U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates, May 2019.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Age
Between 2000 and 2010, the share of the Town’s population under 18 years of age increased
five percentage points to 27%, while the share of residents 65 y ears and older decreased from
22% to 18%. Household growth during that decade accounted for a younger population and
the median age dropped from 41.3 to 39.55.
Recent statistical analyses by the U.S. Census Bureau however suggests some reversal since
2010; the median age may have risen to 44.3 years. Those under 18 are estimated now to
comprise only 20 percent of the Town’s population.
Age Distribution : 2000
Under 18
22%
Everyone Else
56% 65 + Older
22%
Age Distribution: 2010
Under 18
27%
Everyone Else
55%
65 + Older
18%
5 The median age in 2010 in Queen Anne’s County was 42.6.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
The Town’s recent very slow pace
Age Distribution: Estimated 2018
of household formation may
account for this change as
younger families have aged
Under 18
without the offsetting effects of 20%
new households with children.
Indeed, 2018 estimates suggest Everyone Else 65 + Older
59% 21%
there are 260 fewer children now
than in 2010. The new 2020
Census will provide a more
reliable data set based on direct
survey methods, but it is clear the
Town’s population is not
becoming more youthful like it had been in the previous decade.
Household Structure and Families
Like population, the number of households and age, the makeup of households is an important
indication of community character. Data on household structure are available only from the
decennial census, so we note here that the data below are 10 years old.
As shown above in 2010, 1,102 households, or about 70% of all households, were families--that
is, the occupants were related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. About 30%
then were non-families, unrelated people living together or one-person households. By
comparison, in 2000, there were 497 family households, making up 61.2% of the total.
Householders living alone (one-person households) made up nearly 25% (or one in four) of all
households in 2010. By comparison in 2000 there were 265 one-person households, making up
32.8% of all households.
In Queen Anne’s County (not shown in the table above) family households made up 73.9% of
households and one-person households make up 20.6%.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Other relevant findings from the 2010 Census about Centreville’s households:
• 38% of households had children.
• 30% of households had a person over 65 years of age.
• Average family size was 3.1 persons per family.
• Average household size was 2.6 persons per household.
• Owner-occupied housing units made up 69% of all units with an average household size
of 2.71.
• Renter occupied units made up 23.6% of all units with an average household size of 2.26.
• Vacant units made up 7.4% of all units.
Economic Character and Indicators
Labor Force
The U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS) provides current information on the
economic character of Centreville6. The data presented here reflects the ACS’s aggregation of
the years 2013 through 2017. Of the Town’s population that is 16-years of age and older, 70.8%
or 2,570 people are in the labor force, meaning they are employed or temporarily unemployed.
Insert chart
6
The U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing accounting of certain demographic and economic data.
Because the data are arrived at through statistical methods rather than just direct counts, the Census publishes a percent margin of
error for almost every data point. Obviously, where sample sizes are smaller, such as at the town-level, the probability of error is
increased. The data used here all have margins of error less than 5% (except where noted or for household income data, where
we’ve included the margin of error in dollar amounts). Comparative conclusions made here are made only after considering the
margins of error associated with the data points being compared. Data with margins of error greater than 5% are not presented
used. The advantage of using the ACS is that the data are more current, and the methods used span multiple years of study which
can smooth out year to year deviations.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Household Income
The median household income in Centreville is $________ (+/- $____), compared with the
County ($_______ (+/-$ 4,003). Include comparison to County and State
Location of Employment
Describe location of jobs (within/out of jurisdiction) and explain community patterns
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
III. Municipal Growth
The chapter presents alternative projections of household growth, estimates the number of
housing units that could be developed within Town under current zoning rules, updates the
Town’s Municipal Growth Area, adopts a forecast of household and population levels for the
year 2040, and assesses the potential impact of growth on key community facilities.
Zoned Development Capacity
Establishing a Baseline
New Housing Units: 2011-2020
A household is an occupied housing unit. It is the main
Year Units
“demand unit” considered when contemplating change
and its impacts on community facilities. With a reasonably
2011 26
accurate forecast of households, for example, a town can 2012 48
estimate future residential demand for water and 2013 38
2014 48
sewerage, classroom space in schools, and for parkland.
2015 53
2016 17
In 2010 the U.S. Census recorded 1,568 households in
2017 17
Centreville, and over the subsequent ten years the Town
2018 21
added 278 new housing units (see Table__). For the
2019 2
purpose of preparing projections each of these new units 2020 8
is assumed to be occupied, therefore, the level of 1,846
278
households is the 2020 baseline.
The Development Pipeline
Centreville presently has no housing units in the development pipeline, which is to say there
are no unbuilt housing developments with final plan or plat approval. However, the Providence
Farm subdivision continues to build out with 12 lots remaining.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Capacity for New Housing
The term “Zoned Development Capacity” refers to the acreage within the Town that is available
for development and the housing units which could be built on that land under current zoning
rules. In estimating the Town’s capacity for development, only “buildable land” is considered,
which refers to acreage that meets each of the following criteria:
• It is not encumbered by serious environmental constraints.
• It is undeveloped or clearly under-developed as evidenced for example by the presence
of only one building on a large tract of land.
• It has the zoning to permit residential development.
• It is mapped within either a current or planned water and sewerage service area.
• It is otherwise not actively in use.
It is not uncommon to find large parcels of residentially zoned land being used for religious,
institutional, or recreational purposes, including cemeteries, schools, and parks. Such parcels
are not counted when estimating development capacity. Table __ shows the acreage and
potential housing units within each of the Town’s residential zoning districts. As shown, there is
capacity for 1,177 housing units on 279 acres7. The unit counts are evenly distributed among
the R-1, R-3, and TND zones, while there are only 32 lots remaining in the R-2 zone.
7 It is important to note that Town zoning does allow housing units above commercial space, but a parcel-by-parcel evaluation of the
redevelopment potential of existing commercial buildings was not undertaken. It is possible that a limited number of apartments
would be developed in downtown through the renovation or adaptive reuse of existing buildings.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Most of the residential development potential can be found on five major tracts of land in
Town. Map shows each tract and its zoning. Each was as designated a major infill area in the
2010 Community Plan and remains so today. The recognition of the development potential on
each major tract is not an endorsement of any development plan or an assurance that required
public water and sewer allocation will be made to support such potential, or even that the
zoning will remain unchanged. A developer must ultimately submit a subdivision plan for each
tract for Town approval. In each case the actual development of the tract may provide less than
its theoretical potential. These five tracts, comprising 253 acres, account for 94 percent of the
estimated capacity for new housing units. The other 6 percent are comprised of lots that are
platted but vacant and small tracts which could be subdivided.
Residential Development Capacity by Zoning District: 2020
Max. Density by Total Potential Estimated
Code Available Housing Density
Zone (units/acre) Acreage Units (units/acre)
R-1 3.00 162 470 2.9
R-2 5.00 8 32 3.8
R-3 7.00 66 460 7.0
TND 5.00 43 215 5.0
sum 279 1177 4.2
Note: Maximum density by code is as provided in the Schedule of Zone Regulations for
Planned Unit Developments.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Projections of Household Growth
Alternative Projections
Four alternative projections are shown in Table ___ and graphed in Exhibit ___. Each represents
a plausible future track for household growth through 2040, unconstrained by limitations on the
availability of public water and sewer or zoning restrictions. However, the highest and lowest
projections serve mostly to bracket the potential for growth; compared to the others they are
relatively unlikely.
As noted in the Table, Projection #1 fixes the number of households in Centreville at 9.9% of the
County’s households for the next 20 years. Given County land use policies that direct
development into towns and the availability of land in Centreville, it would seem likely the
Town’s share of the County’s residential base will increase over time as it has since 2000. As for
Projection #4, which is the highest projection, it seems unlikely that Centreville will grow at 4.2
percent per year like it did between 2000 and 2020. It does seem quite plausible however that
the Town will add about the same number of households as it added during those 20 years,
which would bring the total to 2,885 by 2040. It is likely that actual household growth would fall
between Projections 2 and 3, that is – assuming water and sewer services were readily available.
Projection Past Current Future Change 2020-2040
Ave Annual
% #
Rate
2000 2010 2020 2030 2040
1. Fixed Share of County Households (at 9.9%) 807 1568 1846 1980 2320 25.7 474 1.15
2. Town's Growth Trend 2000 - 2010 807 1568 1846 2200 2560 38.7 714 1.65
3. Increasing Share of County Households to 14% by 2040 807 1568 1846 2600 3360 82.0 1514 3.04
4. Town's Growth Trend 2000 - 2020 807 1568 1846 3010 4220 128.6 2374 4.22
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Household Projections: 2020 -2040
4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
2000 2010 2020 2030 2040
Forecast 2040
A reliable forecast allows a Town to anticipate and prepare for the impact of growth and the
needs of future residents. The forecast presented here is the expected outcome of the 2040
Comprehensive Plan. Considering this Plan’s polices especially related to land use, the Town
based its Comprehensive Plan on a forecast rate of growth of ____ percent per year resulting in
__ new household by 2040. At this level, Centreville’s population would approximate __ in 2040.
Here is an explanation: (to be completed upon discussion of community facilities and land use
element)
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Impacts of Planned Growth
(The impact of the planned growth on community facilities (schools and public water and sewer
in particular… to be completed upon completion of land use element and the 2040 Forecast)
Designated Growth Area
Size and Location
A designated growth area is a planned extension of the municipal boundaries to encompass
lands that may be annexed in the future. Under Maryland planning law, properties must be
within the growth area to be eligible for annexation. This Plan’s growth area contains about
1,940 acres and is shown on Map ___.
The Growth Area as drawn in the 2009 Community Plan encompassed about 1,720 acres, nearly
390 acres of which are environmentally sensitive and thus not available for development. The
2020 updated Growth Area is larger because it includes the roughly 220 areas previously
planned as a “County Businesses Park” located on the west side of U.S. Route 13 and MD Route
213. This plan includes the planned business park within the Town’s growth area signaling the
Town’s intention that such development occur within municipal limits. This is discussed in the
next section.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Planned Land Use
The land use plan for the Growth area is shown in Map __ below and the recommended land
use designations are described here.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
From Growth Area to Villages to
Neighborhoods
Recommended Employment Zones
P Existing Intuitional uses
S Planned Commercial / Mix
P
Residential Infill Areas
Planned
Complete Neighborhoods
New Streets
S P Planned Growth Area
Boundary
S
P Possible Employment
P Zone
Future School S
Future Park P
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
IV. Natural Environment
The Town of Centreville lies within the gently rolling landscape of the Corsica River watershed,
at the confluence of the Corsica River and its main tributary streams. All rainwater that falls
within the Town and the 40-square mile watershed makes its way to the Corsica River through
many small and intermittent streams that extend eastward from the River to points beyond
Centreville. The natural resources and environmentally sensitive areas within the Town are
discussed in this section of the report.
Existing Conditions
Corsica River, Tributary Streams, and Stream Buffers
The Corsica River flows northwest about five miles from the Watson Road Bridge, near the
western edge of Town, before entering the Chester River. The Chester River is one of the
Chesapeake Bay’s major tributaries, merging with the Bay at Love Point. The River’s main tidal
tributaries are Yellow Bank and Mill Stream. Three-Bridge Branch and Gravel Run extend from
the Yellow Branch eastward as non-tidal streams and the Old Mill Stream extends from Mill
Stream southeastward as a non-tidal stream to points east and south of U.S. Route 301. Map
___ shows the major streams in and around Centreville along with their wetlands and
floodplains.
The Town’s streams are generally buffered in woody vegetation and have natural shorelines. A
stream buffer (riparian buffer) is an integral part of the natural resource. It is the area of land
extending outward from the top of the stream bank. Wide and naturally vegetated buffers
protect the health and vitality of streams, while narrow and urbanized buffers, allow the water
temperature to rise and excess pollutants and sediments to pass into the water. To achieve the
optimum protection of a stream’s water quality, buffers would be naturally vegetated, fully
encompass their floodplains and, where possible, be at least 100 to 300 feet wide.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Floodplains
Map __ also shows the floodplains in Centreville. The Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) regularly maps the 100-year floodplains, areas having a 1% chance of flooding in any
given year. Within its boundaries, the Town regulates development activities in the floodplain
through the Floodplain Management Ordinance.
The Town’s floodplains are directly associated with the Corsica and its tributary streams. As
shown on Map ___, it is also generally the case that the Town’s floodplains are undeveloped
and mostly in a forested or wetland condition. During flooding events the most noticeable part
of the floodplain is the location where S. Commerce and S. Liberty Streets join to form the two-
way section of MD Route 213. Here the floodplain covers Mill Stream Park on the west of MD
213, and two undeveloped parcels on the east side. The floodplain is also extensive along Front
Street from Wharf Lane to and including the Centreville Wharf Park.
Wetlands
Map ____ also shows the Town’s tidal and non-tidal wetlands which for the most part are closely
associated with the Corsica and its tributaries. These wetlands attenuate flooding, prevent
shoreline erosion, help maintain the water quality of the Corsica River, Chester River and by
extension the Chesapeake Bay, and provide habitat for native plants and wildlife.
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Insert Existing Natural Resources Map
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Tidal (Estuarine) wetlands line the banks of
General Location of Tidal (Estuarine) Wetlands Along Mill
Stream on the Town’s Western Boundary
the Yellow Branch and Mill Streams and
M
are quite extensive along the Town’s
ill
Stream
Trail
C
El
e
e
n
m
tr
e
e
n
v
t
i
a
ll
r
e
y School
western border from Corsica Neck Road to
Mill Stream Park. The aerial photograph
here shows the location of tidal wetlands
in this area.
The non-tidal (Palustrine) wetlands in
Centreville are generally forested and
extend into slightly higher elevations at
greater distance from tidal action. The
Town’s non-tidal wetlands, whether N
populated by trees or just herbaceous
plants, provide vital basins for retaining
and filtering rainwater that flows from
upland locations. These are generally
located on the east side of MD 213 and coincide with the forested corridors that are a
prominent part of the area’s natural setting. The aerial photograph here shows non-tidal
wetlands associated with Gravel Run located just north of the Turpin Farm.
General Location of Non-Tidal (Palustrine) Wetlands Along Gravel Run
Hope
Rd.
King
Ct.
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Steep Slopes
The Town’s landscape, like the Corsica River watershed generally, is gently rolling. Steep
slopes, which are hillsides with grades 15% or greater, are confined to the wooded shorelines of
the Yellow Bank Stream, Mill Stream and the other streams that extend into forested or
otherwise undeveloped portions of the Town. These areas of steep slopes can be seen on Map
___ within the green corridors that coincide with the streams. On the map, the differences in
the land’s surface elevation is revealed using contour lines which connect points of equal
elevation above sea level. Where contour lines are spaced far apart, the land is relatively level
with little change in elevation. Where contour lines run closely together, the land is sloping, and
the closer they are, the steeper the grade. Land disturbance on the steep slopes in Centreville
including clearing trees can lead to stormwater and pollutant runoff into the streams soil
erosion, and stream bank failures.
Forests
Map___ also shows areas in Town covered in forests including very small forest stands and
wooded backyards. Forests provide many ecological benefits including producing oxygen,
protecting streams and groundwater quality, moderating localized temperatures, providing
habitat for wildlife and birds, and capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and sequestering
carbon. A single tree can remove many tons of carbon from the air over its lifetime.
The remaining forested lands in and around Centreville are aligned with streams and wetlands,
typically areas that could not readily be put to aquicultural use. In fact, the three most
significant forested areas extend along streams radiating eastward from the Corsica River. They
are fragmented into long corridors that extend into and beyond the Town’s Growth Area. While
they provide residual water quality benefits, they bear no resemblance to their pre-agricultural
extent and function. The preservation of these remaining forests is vital to the maintain the
current health of the Corsica River; their expansion is vital to restoring the River’s health.
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Chesapeake Bay Critical Area
The Town is required by the State of Maryland to administer regulations limiting the use and
development of land within 1,000 feet of tidal waters, an area known as the Chesapeake Bay
Critical Area (see Map ____). All lands within 1,000 of the Bay, its tributaries, and tidal marshes are
designated as the Critical Area. Properties within the Critical Area are designated one of three
categories: Intensely Developed Area (IDA), Limited Development Area (LDA), and Resource
Conservation Area (RCA). The rules and criteria for classifying properties into these categories
are set forth in the Critical Area regulations (found in the Town’s Zoning Ordinance,.
https://ecode360.com/9532220)
Intensely Developed Area: The IDA is meant for the intensely developed areas where houses,
businesses, marinas, parking lots, etc. were constructed mostly before the State’s adoption of the
Critical Area Program in the 1980’s. The IDA generally coincides with development that has
substantially altered the natural capability of the land to protect the quality of water. This area is
shown in red on the Map. The IDA classification does not significantly restrict development but
does require that applicants for development / redevelopment put measures into place when
developing land that can reduce stormwater pollutant runoff by at least 10% below pre-
development conditions.
Limited Development Area: The LDA designation is meant for those areas, where limiting the
amount of additional land development (i.e., the coverage of the land with impervious surfaces
such as buildings and parking lots), will protect water quality. This coincides with areas of less
intensive development than the IDA and is shown in yellow on the Map. The LDA classification
places significant limitations on development, requiring for example that no more than 15% of a
lot be covered with impervious surfaces and requiring the protection of forests.
Resource Conservation Area: The RCA is meant to cover the most sensitive parts of the Critical
Area, such as intact riverine forests, natural shorelines, wetlands, and wildlife habitats; areas that
function naturally to protect the Bay’s water quality and wildlife. These area are shown in green
on Map ____.
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Insert Critical Area Map
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Impacts of Sea Level Rise
The Chesapeake Bay is rising but because of the Town’s limited amount of developed
shoreline, the Town is not as vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise like coastal communities8.
However, sea level rise will impact the Town’s tidal shorelines, wetlands and the floodplains of
the Corsica River and the tidal parts of other streams. Impacts may include shoreline erosion,
deterioration of tidal wetlands, rising groundwater, and nuisance flooding in lower lying riverine
areas.
The exhibits below are from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Sea Level Rise Viewer. The image on the left shows current extent of open water, which
coincide with the Corsica River and the main branches of its tributary streams. The second
exhibit shows an expanded open water scenario under the assumption that sea levels rise 2.0
feet above the year 2000 levels. The Maryland Commission on Climate Change projects, with
high confidence, that by 2050 area sea levels will rise 2.1 feet over the levels measured in 2000.
Should this come to pass, the Town could expect through the lifetime of this Plan that
floodplains will expand, flooding will be more severe and frequent, and tidal wetlands will
extend further upland as hydrologic conditions change. As a general guide, protecting these
areas over the next decades would become increasingly.
8 In its 2018 report, Sea Level Rise Projections for Maryland, the Maryland Commission on Climate Change (MCCC) noted that the
Bay’s water levels have been rising for a long time, since Last Ice Age actually, as the Bay filled up and coastal Maryland settled
(which is still happening). But during the 20th century, with warming waters and glacial melt, the oceans began to expand their
volumes steadily and rise. Now, well into the 21st century, the warming of the earth is accelerating and so is the rise of the tidal
water throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.
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Existing Open Water Open Water with 2 Foot Sea Level Rise:
Projected 2050
A Plan For Natural Resources
Objectives
• To ensure that the Centreville Growth Area is designed and built to avoid and/or
minimize adverse impacts to environmentally sensitive areas.
• To preserve, protect, and grow the remaining natural resource features and sensitive
areas and the key roles they play in sustaining life and property in and around
Centreville.
• To use the preservation of natural areas as a means of linking the Town as it grows with
natural and recreational assets.
• To facilitate the natural migration of wetlands and natural vegetation as Bay water levels
rise along the tidal portions of streams, so that buffers can continue to function to
improve water quality and minimize flooding.
• To cultivate a love for the outdoors and promote greater public recreational access to
and use of shorelines and forested steam buffers throughout the Town.
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Recommendations
Modernize Critical Area Regulations, Forest Conservation
The Town should continue to update its Critical Area Program and Ordinance, as required by
State law, to be consistent with changes that occur to the State Critical Area law and to reflect
the unique context of Centreville. Likewise, the Forest Conservation Ordinance needs to be
updated especially considering the opportunities arising from development in the Town and
other recommendations related to forest regeneration and stream protection.
A Town Forestry Program
Institute a continuous town forestry program to promote forest health and vitality and greater
tree canopy coverage by (1) creating funding mechanisms for protecting existing and future
forests, (2) planting street trees, (3) encouraging the voluntary planting of native species trees
on public and private lands, (4) encouraging property owners to conserve forested areas to the
extent possible, and (5) growing local forests through strict enforcement of the Town’s Forest
Conservation Ordinance. Tree planting within the Town can enhance the aesthetic quality of
streetscapes, cool impervious surfaces, create wildlife habitat, promote stormwater
management, reduce energy consumption, and improve air quality. The Town has a Tree
Ordinance, Section __ of the Town Code. In 2021 Planning Commission recommend
amendments to the ordinance along with detailed specifications to guide the installation of
street trees on the town’s public streets. This Plan recommends the adoption of these
amendments.
Protect Stream Buffers
This Plan aims to establish naturalized stream buffers along all streams that run through Town
and the designated growth area. Where redevelopment and the intensification of existing uses
of land is proposed or where new development is proposed on properties containing streams,
the Plan recommends that expansive stream buffers be established both within and outside of
the Critical Area. Amend the Zoning Ordinance to require non-disturbance buffers: at
minimum, 100-foot wide for perennial streams and 50-foot wide for intermittent streams,
expanded as needed to account for steep slopes and floodplains. Naturalized buffers play a
significant role in protecting water quality and accommodating the migration of wetlands and
flood zones as sea levels rise. Also, the Plan recommends that the Town and other units of
government or public agencies plant wide stream buffers on publicly owned properties where
feasible.
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Protect Sensitive Environmental Areas
To ensure that regulations and standards related to environmental protection are implemented
the Town must insist on high quality site design, professionally engineered land planning, and
thoughtful early reviews of concept plans. Thoughtful land planning can promote the growth
and resilience of natural areas, for example by designating lands adjacent to existing streams
for afforestation and land preservation.
Perennial and intermittent streams and adjoining natural buffers, habitats of threatened and
endangered species (where present), wetlands, steep slopes, and the forests shown on Map __
should be protected from the adverse effects of development. With respect to each of these
“sensitive areas” within Centreville some level of protection is already in place through either
local, state, and/or federal regulations. But the value of identifying sensitive area early in the site
planning process for review by the Planning Commission is vital to drawing up plans that offer
the greatest long term protection.
Transform the Growth Area into High Value Ecologically Sustainable Neighborhoods
Over the long term as the Growth Area is developed, this Plan recommends that the Town
guide community development into high value ecologically sustainable ways: for example,
substantial forest regeneration, clustering home sites to minimize the coverage of the land in
impervious surfaces, connecting areas with bike and walking trails to minimize vehicle trips,
using the most advantageous stormwater practices designed to treat stormwater associated
with the most significant rainfall events not just typical rain events, right-sizing the design of
Town streets and infrastructure, and developing 100% renewable energy neighborhoods—that
is, Centreville future neighborhoods would be powered by renewable energy sources.
Facilitate Access to Natural Resource Areas
Chapter X, Community Design, of this Plan describes and maps existing and proposed
Greenways. The Greenways encompass natural resource lands such as stream buffers and
forested areas within the Town and its Growth Area. The Greenways provide access to and
through these areas to shorelines, parks, and recreational opportunities and address a central
organizing feature of this Community Plan – that natural areas should interconnect the Town as
its grows providing town residents with public access to and through natural areas.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Coordinate with the County, State, and Federal Agencies and Non-Profits
The Town of Centreville provided leadership to the “Corsica River – Watershed Restoration
Action Strategy – Final Report, September 2004”, (WRAS). The effort led to measurable
improvements in water quality. More information about this is provided in the Chapter V, Water
Resources.
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V. Water Resources
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VI. Land Use
Introduction
This chapter of the Centreville Community Plan proposes a land use pattern that involves
several concepts intended to improve use of land within the current Town boundaries and
accommodate future growth beyond the boundaries. These concepts range from the
development of vacant in-town parcels to the expansion of Centreville through future
annexations to accommodate projected growth. As noted elsewhere, this is an update to the
Centreville Community Plan of 2008 and is meant to be a 10-year update as required by the
State. The Town, as expressed by the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC), is generally satisfied
with the content of the 1998 Plan and wishes to update it with recent changes in land use, local
conditions, infrastructure upgrades, and future needs. Enactment of the concepts in this Plan
will occur over a long period of time that will be determined by market demand, private-sector
interest in development, and the availability of municipal services.
Implementation of the objectives and recommendations of this Plan will occur in many ways, but
the most prominent is through zoning. The reclassification of zoning districts to encourage
desired growth is one way in which Centreville can guide growth to designated areas. Figure 9
(Existing Town Zoning Districts) and Figure 10 (Existing Town and County Zoning Districts) show
the current zoning. Modification of some existing zoning districts is recommended in this Plan,
as well as creation of additional districts. Implementation of growth areas will require
annexation and use of a Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning district.
Existing Pattern of Use
The term “land use” refers to the way property owners use land and therefore it reflects the
cultural, economic, and environmental character of an area. A land use map is the visual
expression of that character and shows the distribution of residential, institutional, commercial,
and natural areas. Centreville’s existing land uses are shown on Map ___. An overview of the
existing pattern of land use follows:
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
As the County seat, Centreville is a center of institutional and governmental uses which are
concentrated in downtown around the historic courthouse and green. Downtown is also home
to law and other professional offices, restaurants, and shops. It is also home to the Town’s
original residential settlement.
From the downtown core, residential neighborhoods extend westward along Chesterfield Road
and eastward between Water Street and Kidwell Avenue. Over recent decades, land further
removed from downtown was subdivided creating neighborhoods such as Providence Farms to
the west, Symphony Village to the south, and North Brook to the north. Single-family residential
is the use that accounts for most of the developed land in Town and is shown in yellow on Map
__.
Residential apartment buildings and complexes are designated “multi-family residential” on
Map __ and shown in orange. Since adoption of the last community plan, the east side of Little
Hut Drive has been developed for multi-family housing.
The Centreville Business Park is a significant area of mixed commercial use, including a
community shopping center fronting Centreville Road (MD Route 213). Business offices and
light industrial uses are situated internal to the business park. The Town’s existing commercial
uses are shown in red and light industrial uses in purple on Map __.
An institutional center is emerging along Railroad Avenue (MD Route 304) at its intersection
with Kidwell Avenue near the County middle and high school complex. Since the adoption of
the last community plan, the County has constructed its main governmental office building
there, the YMCA has obtained site plan approval for a major indoor / outdoor recreational
facility, and the County Board of Education has appeared before the Planning Commission to
discuss a conceptual plan to develop an office complex.
As documented in Chapter 3, there remains a significant amount of undeveloped land within
Town limits zoned for residential use. Nearly 280 undeveloped acres are zoned for residential
use. This land is shown in green on the map.
Lastly, the extent of natural resource land including shorelines, wetland and forested stream
buffers within municipal limits is substantial. This land use reflects the presence of underlying
natural conditions. It is mapped and discussed in detail in Chapter 4 of this report and shown
here in a dark green color.
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Outside of Town, agriculture is the prominent land use. Scattered housing lots and residential
subdivisions can also be found throughout the countryside just beyond town limits. The Town’s
designated growth area, which is described in Chapter 4, is comprised of very large tracts of
land. Each has significant development potential, and with thoughtful planning and
coordination, an interconnected arrangement of open spaces and naturalized areas can be
preserved for recreational use and environmental protection.
The Plan for Land Use
Through 2040, the Future Land Use Map is to be used along with the supporting text in this
Chapter to guide the location, type, intensity and character of development and
redevelopment. Every parcel of land is assigned a general land use category.
Land use plans are adopted nearly every ten years which allows for long term continuity in
development policy. When adjustments are made to that policy, they can be understood by
comparing the current plan with the newly recommended one. Implementing this new plan
would not fundamentally transform town planning in Centreville; but would alter that policy in
subtle but profound ways, including:
• Elevating the protection of the Town’s remaining forests, wetland, and resource area, by
specifically designating them for conservation and aligning them with new park and
recreational goals.
• Applying a Planned Unit Development designation to all major undeveloped tracts of
land in the Town (as well as in the growth area) to signal the Town’s intent that future
neighborhoods should include a mix of housing types and densities plus supporting
institutional, recreational, and to a limited degree, commercial uses.
Objectives
This updated Plan signals that Centreville will be especially intentional and purposeful in its
decisions about town development over the next 20 years. It is the intent of this Plan that the
conversion of vacant land to residential or commercial use advance the Town’s improvement,
progress, and enhancement--this is, its development as a community.
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By virtue of its comprehensiveness, this Plan is general and cannot adequately address specific
issues or opportunities that may arise with any given land development proposal. Therefore, as
described below, this Plan recommends that all major development proposals proceed through
a deliberative phase during which the benefits that can delivered to the Town will be
investigated. The Town is receptive to allowing flexibility where needed to achieve quality land
development, but where individual proposals fail to meaningfully advance the Town’s
development (as defined above), they will not comply with this Plan and should not be
approved.
The main goal of this land use plan is that Centreville develop as a healthy, prosperous, and
beautiful town with a continual improvement in the quality of life for its residents and the vitality
of its businesses. Supporting objectives that give substance to this goal are as follows:
• Create a network of open spaces and resource conservation lands which will secure
important environmental functions, form the basis of a town wide recreational asset, and
promote local health, vitality, and scenic beauty.
• Guide the development of the Town’s future neighborhoods into patterns that
encourage intergenerational communities, not neighborhoods separated by age or
income.
• Promote a land use pattern both within the existing Town and beyond current
boundaries into future growth areas that is consistent with a traditional small town.
• Recognize the need to preserve the historic elements and economic vitality of the Town
by linking the Town center to surrounding areas with an efficient system of roads streets,
pedestrian walkways, community open space, and public utilities.
• Encourage continual reinvestment in the real estate within Town, the redevelopment of
vacant or underutilized properties and the redevelopment or improvement of
substandard properties. Encourage quality development and redevelopment of vacant
or substandard properties within the Town using design standards, adequate building
codes, and coordination with the development community. Create incentives to
encourage developers to rehabilitate existing buildings and build new buildings in
keeping with the architectural style, desired features, and pattern of the existing
Centreville Business District (CBD).
• Ensure that Centreville will continue to function as one of Queen Anne’s County’s
primary residential and economic development growth areas by planning for future land
uses on adjacent unincorporated lands which will accommodate town scale and
suburban scale growth in appropriate locations.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
• Ensure that future development and redevelopment within the Town and surrounding
lands is consistent with the Future Land Use Concept Plan Map in this Centreville
Community Plan.
• Ensure that future land use patterns are supported by transportation networks, utility
systems, open spaces, and community facilities.
• Encourage programs and develop regulations that will protect and preserve sensitive
natural areas within the Town and in future growth areas.
• Prepare, adopt, and implement an Economic and Revitalization Plan. Such a plan should
address the interrelationships of various land uses, the economic vitality of Centreville,
and the ways in which previously used sites can be rejuvenated or redeveloped.
Future Land Use Map
The Future Land Use Map is a guide to the town’s development. To realize the
recommendations in this chapter, the Centreville Zoning Ordinance and Map will need to be
updated and revised. Map __ shows the 2040 future land use plan. Each of the major
categories are described below.
Resource Conservation
Areas planned for Resource Conservation encompass the shoreline and 100-year floodplain
associated with the Corsica River and its tributary streams. They also include significant forest
areas and open spaces that are environmentally sensitive such as the land so designated
between the Centreville Business Park and Symphony Village. These areas are, to the extent
possible, meant to be protected to perform their resource functions, like retaining flood waters,
recharging municipal ground water supplies, and protecting downstream water quality.
Open Space
Areas planned for Open Space generally include improved public and private outdoor
recreational areas but also the Chesterfield Cemetery. The designation signals the Town’s
intention that these lands remain in open space uses at least through 2040.
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Town Residential
The yellow areas shown on Map __ encompass existing neighborhoods and residential lots that
are primarily zoned R-1 and R-2. The primary purpose of the designation is to signal the Plan’s
intent that these areas be conserved in residential use or continue to be developed for housing
under approved plats.
Traditional Neighborhood Development
This designation applies to the Carter Farm on Chesterfield Avenue. The purpose of this
designation is to signal a preference for patterns consistent with pre-WW II residential
neighborhoods that feature a mix of housing types, open spaces, institutional uses, and small-
scale retail near each other. The recommended form of development is a grid street pattern
with rear access alleys and strong pedestrian orientation where single-family detached houses
have shallow front yards. This Plan’s TND designation corresponds exactly to the current Zoning
Map.
Planned Unit Development (PUD)
The PUD designation envisions a neighborhood of primarily residential uses that thoughtfully
incorporates a major open space element. A PUD would contain a variety of housing types,
including single-family detached, duplexes, tri-plexes, attached houses, and apartment
buildings. Limited amounts of nonresidential use would be permitted and land for future
institutional uses would be required to be reserved. A PUD would proceed through a master
planning process in which an overall plan is proposed by the developer and evaluated and
approved by the Town. To realize the potential density allowed under a PUD, developers would
need to demonstrate conformance with this Plan and demonstrate the project provides a public
benefit to the Town of Centerville. This designation applies to the major proposed infill
development sites (excluding the TND Carter Farm) that are discussed in more detail in Chapter
4, Municipal Growth. Specific recommendations are provided later in this Chapter.
High Density Residential
The primary purpose for the “high density” designation is to signal the plan’s intent to conserve
existing multiple-family housing areas in residential use. For the most part, this designation
covers existing townhouse neighborhoods and apartment complexes, zoned R-3.
Institutional
This designation signals the Plan’s intent that the existing institutional uses remain the preferred
use on those properties so designated. The Plan supports the development of institutional uses
such as places of worship, schools, nursing homes, and day care centers in certain residential
and commercial areas and the zoning ordinance would continue to accommodate them.
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Central Business District
These are the properties within and near downtown where mixed-use development is
encouraged, and a broad array of land uses would continue to be allowed. The recommended
maximum residential density on a developable lot could be one housing unit per 1,200 square
feet of lot area, or about 36 units per acre. The Plan also encourages residential apartments
above commercial storefronts. More specific recommendations are provided in the next section
of this Chapter.
Commercial
Recommended commercial areas are clustered along Water Street/ Railroad Avenue,
Pennsylvania Avenue, Centreville Road, south of Town and Church Hill Road north of
downtown.
Office and Light Industrial
Office and light industrial uses within the Town’s existing boundaries are recommended in the
Centreville Business Park. More specific recommendations are provided in the next section of
this Chapter.
Recommendations
Downtown Centreville
PUD or Planned Residential Communities / Future Neighborhood Development
County Business Park
MD 304 Corridor
Greenbelt
Balancing Land Use Planning with Adequacy of Public Facilities
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VII. Housing
Introduction
This section of the report provides a summary and evaluation of existing conditions, objectives,
and recommended policies on housing. The Land Use Article of the Annotated Code of
Maryland was amended in 2019 to require that comprehensive plans contain a housing element
to address “affordable workforce” and “low-income housing”. Affordability is measured in
relation to the Area Median Income (AMI), a measure set by the federal Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD). The “area” in the term AMI, for Centreville, is the Baltimore-
Columbia-Towson Metro Region. The median annual income for the Region is $105,1009. By
comparison, the 2019 median annual income for Centreville was $89,69910 .
Increasing the availability of affordable housing as a goal can conflict with other vital planning
goals but policies about housing are especially important because they directly shape who can
live in a community and who cannot. In this chapter we seek to balance competing goals and
aim to encourage affordable housing options that can fit compatibly within the Town over the
long run and maintain the Town’s zoning and land use framework.
Existing Conditions
Affordability in Centreville
HUD’s “housing cost burden” is the standard measure of housing affordability in the United
Sates . According to the standard, households that are cost-burdened pay 30% or more of their
gross income on housing expenses (such as rent, mortgage, utilities, condominium and HOA
fees, and taxes) and thus have difficulty affording other necessities such as food, clothing,
transportation, and medical care. Not surprising households that are most cost burdened have
the lowest incomes.
9 “FY 2021 Income Limits Documentation System.” FY 2021 Income Limits Documentation System -- Summary for Baltimore-
Columbia-Towson, MD MSA, www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il2021/2021summary.odn.
10 “Centreville, MD.” Data USA, datausa.io/profile/geo/Centreville-md/#housing.
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For the Town’s renter households, 39.7 percent of them, or 122 households, are cost burdened.
This is less than the State and Region, where about one-half are. For the Town’s homeowners,
26 percent or 254 households pay more than 30 percent.11 Therefore, relative to the State and
Region, a smaller share of the Town’s households is burdened by housing costs.
Table __ shows the distribution of the Town’s households by annual income. The Town’s
median is $89,699 which means that one-half of all households earn below that and one-half
earn incomes above it. Within the Region median income is $105,100 as noted previously.
Workforce housing is housing that is affordable for a household making between 60 and 100
percent of median income. For the official AMI – that means between $63,300 and $105,100.
Ideally households in this range should be able to find an apartment renting for no greater than
30% of annual income. A renter household earning $63,300 would pay up to $18,990 per year,
or $1,582 per month before becoming cost-burdened. Since the median rent for a two
bedroom apartment in Centreville is $1,38412, or about $199 per month less, one could
conclude the Town is a good value relative to the Region.
However, to appreciate local affordability—that is, the cost for Centreville residents in
particular, the Town’s median income is used. A renter household in Centreville earning 60% of
the Town’s median income or $53,820, would be cost-burdened if paying more than $16,150 per
year in rent, or $1,345 per month. The 2019 American Community Survey by the U.S Census
shows that 44 of the Town’s households are paying monthly rents between $1,000 and $1,499,
40 are paying rents between $1,500 and $1,999, 61 are paying rents between $2,000 and $2,499
and 18 are paying more than $3,000.13 This explains the finding that 39.4 percent of the
Town’s renter households are housing cost-burdened. For lower income households--making
less than 60% of local median income—renter housing is unaffordable in Centreville.
The same applies with respect to owner occupied housing. For a house valued at the current
estimated median sales price of $328,50014 a household would pay about $1,760 per month, in
mortgage, taxes, and insurance. At this median price, a household earning 60 percent of the
Region’s AMI would be paying 33 percent of its income on housing. But closer to home, a
household making 60 percent of the Town’s median income would pay 39 percent of its income
11 “Census Profile: CENTREVILLE, MD Urban Cluster.” Census Reporter, censusreporter.org/profiles/40000US15090-centreville-md-
urban-cluster/.
12 HUD Economic and Market Analysis Division. “FY 2021 Fair Market Rent Documentation System.” FY 2021 Fair Market Rent
Documentation System - Calculation For Centreville www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmrs/FY2022_code/2022summary.odn.
13 “Census Profile: CENTREVILLE, MD Urban Cluster.” Census Reporter, censusreporter.org/profiles/40000US15090-centreville-md-
urban-cluster/.
14 Zillow.com Median Home Value estimate for Centreville, Maryland
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
on housing. In Centreville households that earn incomes close to the median would find that
the costs of homeownership would exceed the 30% affordability standard. Households earning
less than 60% would not find affordable housing to buy in Centreville. When thinking about the
future, only 3% of land in Centreville is zoned for higher density housing beyond single family
attached and single family detached.
Other Characteristics of Housing in Centreville
Housing Unit Type
As shown in Table __, about 85 percent of the Town’s, 1,672 total units are single-family
detached units and 5 percent are single-family attached units (townhouses). Combined, single-
family units comprise 90 percent of the Town’s housing units.15 The remaining 10 percent is
found in buildings with two or more housing units. About 8 percent are in buildings with nine or
fewer units and 2 percent in buildings with 20 or more units.16
Housing Types
Total units 1,969 100%
1 unit detached 1,672 85%
1 unit attached 101 5%
2 or 4 units 97 5%
5 to 9 units 61 3%
10 to 19 units 0 0%
20 or more units 38 2%
Source: U.S. Census
15 Explore Census Data,
data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=centreville%2C+maryland&t=Housing&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP04&hidePreview=true.
16 Explore Census Data,
data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=centreville%2C+maryland&t=Housing&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP04&hidePreview=true.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
Table __ below shows the share of the Town’s existing housing units constructed in each
decade since before 1940. It is striking that 41 percent of the housing units were built in one
decade alone, 2000 to 2009. About 14% of the existing housing units are in structures built
before 1940.
Housing Units by Age of Structure
Year Structure Built # %
2014 or later 61 3%
2010 to 2013 119 6%
2000 to 2009 808 41%
1990 to 1999 68 3%
1980 to 1989 122 6%
1970 to 1979 230 12%
1960 to 1969 104 5%
1950 to 1959 101 5%
1940 to 1949 75 5%
1939 or earlier 281 14%
Source: U.S. Census
Housing Types Permitted by Town Zoning
Table _ below shows the distribution of permitted housing types by zoning district. The Town’s
current Zoning Ordinance generally allows for a variety of housing types including duplexes,
townhouses, apartments in combination with commercial buildings, and stand-alone multi-
family buildings. The Town’s TND zone is a truly mixed use district though only one tract is now
zoned TND and is has yet to be developed. Elderly housing which can be a specialized form of
multi-family housing is permitted in all residential districts and mobile home developments are
allowed in the R-3 and Planned Revitalization Area (PRA) zones.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
New Housing Types Permitted by Mapped Zoning District
Housing Types Zoning Districts
R-1 R-2 R-3 PRA TND PUD CBD C-2 C-3 PBD
Single-family detached permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted
Single-family attached (townhouse) permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted
Accessory dwelling permitted1 permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted
Duplex and two-family permitted permitted permitted permitted
Multi-family2 permitted permitted permitted permitted
Elderly Housing permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted permitted
Mobile Homes permitted permitted
Dwelling units with commercial permitted permitted permitted permitted
1The accessory unit must be within the single-family dwelling, not in a separate stand along building.
2A multi-family dwelling is one that is within a building containing three or more housing units, such as an apartment building.
Note the Light Industrial District (I) does not permit residential uses and is not included in the table.
Housing for Lower Income Households
Housing Developments
There are two low income housing developments in Town that offer housing to all age groups:
Renaissance Chase Apartments and Willows at Centreville Apartments. Both were built under
the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit program (LIHTC). Under the program, the federal
Department of Housing and Urban Development grants state and local agencies authority to
issue tax credits for the acquisition, rehabilitation, and construction of rental housing for lower
income households. The units are set aside for households making less than 60 percent of the
area median household income and rents are generally capped at 30 percent of a household’s
income.
Renaissance Chase is a 64-unit development consisting of one, two and three bedroom unit
options. It is located within the R-2 zoning district and thus is a non-conforming use since the R-
2 zone does not permit multi-family buildings . This property, which was developed using the
LIHTC program, also provides Section 515 Rural Rental Housing which is available to low
income families and elderly persons with disabilities. Renters are also eligible for Section 521
USDA Rental Assistance. This program allows for renters to pay 30% off their adjusted income
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
towards rent. Not all units at Renaissance Chase may qualify for this program but some units are
eligible.17
The Willows at Centreville consists of ten two-story buildings having a mix of one, two and three
bedroom units for a total of 70 rentable units. LIHTC is the only program for this property.18
Housing Authority of Queen Anne’s County
Most of the affordable living options in Queen Anne County are owned and operated by the
Housing Authority of Queen Anne’s County (HAQAC). In fact, there are five additional
developments in the County sponsored by the Housing Authority, beyond the two in Town, that
provide rental assistance programs.
The Authority also manages a Housing Choice Voucher program which provides vouchers used
by households to rent houses or apartments from private owners. Presently there are 141
Housing Choice Vouchers active. The program however is no longer funded so that no vouchers
have been approved since 2017. The waiting list is 10 years for a Housing Choice Voucher. 19
Queen Anne’s County Department of Housing and Community Services
Queen Anne’s County has the second lowest level of rental housing in the State of Maryland
due to land use decisions prioritizing single-family housing.20 Queen Anne’s County through its
Department of Housing and Community Services operates housing programs for existing and
prospective County residents.
• The Critical Workforce Home loan program helps essential personnel who work and
want to live in Queen Anne’s County. This includes teachers, law enforcement, and first
responders. As of February 2020, the County had distributed 81 Critical Workforce
Home loans.21
17 “Renaissance Chase In Centreville, Maryland.” Affordable Housing Online, affordablehousingonline.com/housing-
search/Maryland/Centreville/Renaissance-Chase/15459.
18 “THE Willows at CENTREVILLE IN Centreville, Maryland.” Affordable Housing Online, affordablehousingonline.com/housing-
search/Maryland/Centreville/THE-WILLOWS-AT-CENTREVILLE/10106359.
19 Queen Anne's County Department of Community Services. Housing Strategy for Queen Anne's County, Maryland, Partners for
Economic Solutions, 20 Apr. 2020. www.qac.org/DocumentCenter/View/15198/QAC-Housing-Strategy--Final-5-3-21_?bidId=.
20 “Housing Authority.” Housing Authority of Queen Anne's County, www.qacha.org/.
21 “Affordable & Workforce Housing Unit.” Affordable & Workforce Housing Unit | Queen Anne's County, MD - Official Website,
www.qac.org/1212/Affordable-Workforce-Housing-Unit.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
• Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) Rental program. Limited Rental units are
available through this program for renters making 80% of median area income. As of
February 2020, the County has distributed 44 MPDU loans.22
Senior Housing
Between 2010 and 2019 the share of the Town’s population 65 years or older (seniors) rose from
18 percent to 22 percent. Projections by the State of Maryland for Queen Anne’s County
indicate this trend will continue. Between 2020 and 2040 the senior share of the County’s
population is projected to increase from 20 percent to 26 percent23. It is reasonable to
conclude that the population aging expected at the County level will continue to occur in the
Town through 2040.
There is one subsidized senior living community in Centreville. Tilghman Terrace is a housing
apartment for seniors subsidized by the Federal Housing and Urban Development Division
(HUD). Renters typically pay 30% of gross income for rent. There are 42 units available for rent
that vary between one and two bedroom options.24
Multiple national studies and surveys indicate that seniors want to remain at home rather than
relocate to senior housing as they age. And yet seniors, especially as they progress through
their 70’s, do encounter difficulties with living at home and can benefit from specialized health
care and interacting with other people. Traditional large scale assisted living facilities or
convalescent homes are one option but there can be other smaller housing options that might
fit well within the Town’s existing neighborhoods so residents can remain in Centreville. In fact,
other options may become a necessity as the cost of private assisted living care can be
considerable and outpace the savings of middle and lower income seniors.
22 “Affordable & Workforce Housing Unit.” Affordable & Workforce Housing Unit | Queen Anne's County, MD - Official Website,
www.qac.org/1212/Affordable-Workforce-Housing-Unit.
23 Explore Census Data, data.census.gov/cedsci/table?tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP05&g=0400000US24_0500000US24035.
24 “Tilghman Terrace Apartments In Centreville, Maryland.” Affordable Housing Online, affordablehousingonline.com/housing-
search/Maryland/Centreville/Tilghman-Terrace-Apartments/10005981.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
A Plan For Housing
Objectives and recommendations for residential land use and growth are set forth in the Land
Use and Municipal Growth sections of this report. This Chapter’s recommendations focus
mostly on the supply of affordable housing types and adapting to changes in housing needs.
The Town’s main goal for housing through 2040 is that Centreville is a place where residents of
all ages and income levels have housing options that allow them to live comfortably and
affordably in the community.
Objectives
• Encourage a variety of housing types to maintain the Town as an inter-generational
community.
• Protect the supply of quality housing to meet the affordable housing needs of the
Town’s households that earn less than 60% of the median household income and thus
face a high-cost burden.
• Remain flexible to accommodate changing housing needs over time in both the
production of new housing and the preservation and repurposing of existing units
especially considering the aging trends in area population.
Recommendations
Maintain a land use pattern that encourages multiple housing types and consider minor zoning
adjustments to facilitate their potential production.
The current Zoning Map classifies a substantial area as R-3 which zone allows for a variety of
housing types. The Turpins Farm, for example, discussed in the Land Use chapter, is zoned R-3.
The Town’s Zoning Ordinance also allows tracts of certain sizes to be developed as a Planned
Unit Development (PUD), or a Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND). Both provide
design flexibility to create optimal patterns of residential development. The TND district allows
multiple housing types with overall densities up to 5 units per acre.
Overall, as shown in this chapter, current zoning allows for a variety of housing types including
duplexes, townhouses, apartments in combination with commercial buildings, and stand-alone
multi-family buildings. In practice however, specific standards in the code can make it
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
practically difficult for property owners to deliver these options, even when they would
otherwise be compatible with neighborhood character.
Increasing the supply of new housing, while conserving existing neighborhood character is
possible and the Town should continue to encourage a mix of housing types by reducing
unwarranted regulatory obstacles.
This has the added benefit of
making more efficient use of
available land and municipal
infrastructure and does not
involve land development.
Presently duplexes are prohibited
in the R-1 and R-2 zone and while
they are allowed in the R-3 zone,
each of the two units in a duplex
must have its own minimum lot
area of 5,000 square feet.
Accessory apartments in separate
buildings (such as a garage) are
not allowed in the R-1 and only
permitted as a Special Exception
in the R-2 district provided the lot
is at least 10,000 square feet.
Duplexes and accessory
apartments can be compatible
within all residential
neighborhoods and have
essentially no impact on
neighborhood quality of life. Duplexes can be made indistinguishable from single-family
houses as illustrated in the photographs here and can readily fit on the same lot as a single-
family house25.
25 Credit. The source of these photos and the outline of housing types herein is Opticos Design, “Missing Middle Housing” which is
available at www.missingmiddlehousing.com.
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Create a Town Inter-generational Housing Taskforce
A town that is intergenerational will have housing and social options that allow older adults and
young people and families to mix within neighborhoods. Because workable solutions to any
important and complex goal requires focused long-term community attention, the Town might
consider sponsoring a citizen committee to study and recommend approaches for addressing
existing and future housing needs for middle and lower income seniors especially.
The committee can suggest ways the Town might facilitate senior housing and aging in place
within existing neighborhoods. Options might include repurposing houses into small senior
living and care arrangements, co-housing options where seniors share expenses, and
encouraging universal design principles in new or rehabilitated housing to make it easier for
seniors to live at home. The committee could also coordinate with HAQAC and Queen Anne’s
County Government to evaluate the needs of low income households in this age group. There
is one senior housing development in Centreville providing rental assistance, but the demand
may increase over time in response to health care costs and the aging of the area population.
Efforts to promote new senior housing within existing neighborhoods should be investigated
and adopted if found workable.
Conclusion
The Town’s land use plan is the overall policy framework within which these housing
recommendations must fit. The intent is that within the land use vision of Centreville, there will
always be housing options that meet the needs of the Town’s households regardless of income
and age. This includes the housing needs of young adults and families who could be putting
down roots in Centreville and the needs of its senior citizens who live in and near Town. The
Town aims to have a housing stock which meets the housing needs of its residents and their
family members through their full cycle of life.
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Centreville Community Plan Update - Working Draft, April 27, 2022
VIII. TRANSPORTATION
IX. COMMUNITY FACILITIES
X. COMMUNITY DESIGN AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION
XI. IMPLEMENTATION
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