Leonardtown, Maryland Balances Growth With Tradition

Leonardtown is a charming town in Maryland with aThe $5.5 million Leonardtown Wharf project involved
population of about 2,500. This is a close knit,reuse of an old industrial/commercial site to develop a
pedestrian-friendly community where everyone has awaterfront park with public promenade, dock facilities,
familiar face and kids can spend their weekendsprotected wetlands area with observation boardwalk,
fishing or playing sports.plus adjacent commercial and residential development.
With 300 years under its belt, Leonardtown is aIn addition, the town has an aggressive development
community that has seen a lot of change. Years ago,plan for an additional 1,000 houses that includes:
the downtown was filled with large Victorian homes,- A 593 home waterfront development on Breton Bay
and a bar on every corner, complete with slotwith hotel/conference center, restaurant, marina, office
machines.park and golf course.
In the years following World War II, business died off in- Quality Built Homes development off Route 245 on
Leonardtown, and got even worse after the Route 5the Lindsey Farm.
bypass was completed in 1992. However, lately things- A Marrick Homes development on the Clark Farm
have started to pick up. The quaint downtown area isproperty.
being revitalized with new restaurants, galleries and- Leonardtown Landing, at the Leonardtown Wharf will
unique shops. The close proximity to the naval airbe developing 26 luxury town homes.
station at Lexington Park has provided much neededGrowth in Leonardtown seems inevitable and the real
employment opportunities.estate market here remains strong. Twelve properties
The city sponsors a number of community eventsfor sale during the month of February ranged in price
including a monthly late night shopping night, summerfrom $199,900 to $550,000. Home prices in the new
concerts, parades, a Beach Party, complete withsubdivision of Leonard's Grant will range from
truckloads of sand, Christmas-tree-lighting celebration,$329,900 to $449,900.
and the annual Italian dinner.Many of the longtime residents have expressed
Real estate in Leonardtown consists of scatteredconcern over the amount of growth and how it will
developments with single-family homes, townhomeseffect the small town atmosphere they have come to
and some apartments. Architectural styles include acherish. The mayor and town developers maintain that
mix of small bungalows, large wooden-frame houseswith responsible planning, Leonardtown can provide
and modern multi-level homes. Planned developmentsresidents with the best of both worlds with new and
such as Singletree, Avenmar at Breton Bay, Villages ofimproved facilities, and other benefits that result from
Leonardtown, and Chestnut Hills have cropped up inliving in a prosperous town.
recent years.