10/8/26 Board of Appeals

The St. Mary’s County Board of Appeals met on October 8, 2026. The Board heard the remanded variance request VAAP2061 from Wicomico Valley Foundation for approximately 1,100 linear feet of stone revetment above mean high water, within the 100-foot Critical Area buffer, on its 181-acre property along the Wicomico River. The applicant presented evidence of ongoing shoreline erosion and argued that structural protection was practical and that a living shoreline would be ineffective at the site. The foundation’s representative estimated the project had originally been expected to cost about $600,000, compared with more than $1 million for a living shoreline; these were project cost estimates, not Board-approved expenditures or procurement awards.

Following the Circuit Court’s remand, the Board made findings on the similarly situated properties factor and the structural shoreline standard in CZO section 71.9.8F. It unanimously found the similarly situated properties factor inapplicable and found consistency with section 71.9.8F, then unanimously approved the variance. The first agenda item, variance request VAAP2080 (Henderson), had been withdrawn. No procurement activity, contract award, or purchasing decision was identified.