Worcester County, MD — The Planning Commission will host a public hearing on the 2026 Comprehensive Plan. Residents are encouraged to attend and share their perspectives on future growth and development. The hearing will take place July 9 at 1 p.m. in the Worcester County Government Center in Snow Hill.
The Comprehensive Plan serves as Worcester County’s long-range roadmap, guiding decisions related to land use, housing, transportation, environmental protection, infrastructure, and economic development. The current update is the first comprehensive revision since March 2006, with amendments in 2010 and 2011.
“Following years of public outreach, community meetings, surveys, stakeholder engagement, and work sessions with the County Commissioners, the Planning Commission is now presenting a final draft plan for public review and comment,” Development Review and Permitting Director Jennifer Keener said. “The Planning Commission has made edits to the plan that reflect State comments and public feedback on several topics important to the community.”
Among the key updates are revisions to the Housing Chapter to reflect new State guidance on fair housing and the Land Use Chapter to modify the County’s approach to the E-1 District.
Following the July 9 public hearing, the Planning Commission will consider any additional comments received and may recommend further revisions before forwarding the draft plan to the County Commissioners. The County Commissioners will then conduct a separate public hearing before considering formal adoption of the plan. The date of that hearing has not yet been scheduled and will be announced at a later time.
The draft Comprehensive Plan is available for review at www.worcestermd.gov/comprehensive-plan.