all the housing developments so that it is walkable to downtown. A lot is going on and we are ready for the expansion,” he summarizes. Tourists will also benefit from the list of infrastructure projects planned for Leonardtown which include plans for a new Hotel Conference Center to be on the wish list moving forward. City officials work very closely with the County Tourism Organization, Visit St. Mary’s and a Visitors Center was opened recently in the downtown core to help facilitate the overall tourist experience. A PLACE TO CALL HOME IN LEONARDTOWN Not unlike other municipalities of a similar size, housing has become a hot topic and remains a top priority for city officials to help match anticipated population growth in the region. Leonardtown has several residential options in the works. “We are in the process of planning the development of 400 acres of land adjacent to the downtown with two and a half miles of waterfront that will have trails and boardwalks and it is [a combination] of housing and commercial development, including multi-family housing as well as single-family options,” McKay describes. ‘We have another large development, Meadows at Town Run II, which is a development of townhomes and nice apartments. We are trying to keep them in a more workforce housing price range.” “The development has a large amount of open space and we have worked hard to connect all of these new developments that have been so successful to the downtown with connecting streets and sidewalks,” she elaborates further. GROWING AHEAD Both Mayor Burris and McKay agree that Leonardtown is open for business and has the right process in place to make conducting business and investing in the municipality a seamless affair. “We provide accessibility to leadership and you know 297 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 07 LEONARDTOWN, MD
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