The Caroline County Planning Commission on Wednesday voted to approve a preliminary major site plan for Old Town Materials LLC and recommended the applicant seek a special use exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals, including a positive recommendation for a reduction of the county200‑foot setback for a small portion of the proposed expansion.

Staff said the application covers an expansion of roughly 9.35 acres to an existing mineral extraction operation that, if approved, would bring the total permitted area to about 90.92 acres. Matt Gudinski, assistant director in Planning and Zoning, told the commission the original mining permit predated the county2017 approvals and the current county setback regulation; the expansion therefore must comply with the 200‑foot setback that now applies.

Gudinski said the area inside the 200‑foot buffer is small: "There was already disturbance within the 200 foot setback in this area, roughly 4,000 square feet with actual new disturbance, at about 1,300 square feet." He added that the rest of the proposed expansion meets the setback and that the applicant has addressed staff comments and submitted a permit application for an existing lean‑to over utilities and a generator.

Anne Oglethry, appearing on behalf of Old Town Materials, described the site as "a 9.35 acre site that is currently within it's surrounded by a pond... the owners have no further use for the agricultural improvements that are on that area. They are in pretty bad shape. So they're going to be dismantled and the property would be mine." Engineers for the applicant said the proposal was broken into phases, that traffic volumes would not increase from the previously permitted operation (staying at 100 loads per day), and that hours of operation would remain unchanged.

The commission discussed long‑term owner‑reserved areas and a potential future mining phase of about 32 acres that is not part of the current approval. Commissioners asked whether the motion would include the setback reduction; the maker agreed and the commission voted by voice to approve the preliminary site plan and to recommend the applicant proceed to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a special use exception review; the motion also included a positive recommendation for the 200‑foot setback reduction. The commission did not record a roll‑call tally in the minutes; the chair later announced the motion had passed by voice vote.

The commission noted there were no outstanding code violations and that a developers' rights agreement requiring road improvements and maintenance is in place for the route used by trucks accessing the site. Staff and the applicant said the submitted appraisal did not show a negative effect on adjacent property values and that the end use after mining would remain a large pond with a potential house site on the interior of the parcel.

The decision is a recommendation on the preliminary site plan; final approvals and the requested special use exception will be considered later by the Board of Zoning Appeals and by county permitting processes.