Charles County officials are reaching out to anyone who may have a legal claim concerning drainage and road easement areas located in the Carrington neighborhood of Waldorf. This initiative is part of the county’s efforts to clarify ownership issues prior to implementing significant infrastructure enhancements.
The Carrington neighborhood is an integral part of the broader St. Charles and Smallwood Village communities, situated close to a section of Smallwood Drive that has long been recognized as a major traffic bottleneck. In response to ongoing traffic safety concerns, Charles County is coordinating with multiple departments to improve conditions in this area. Proposed upgrades include a new traffic signal equipped with a pedestrian crossing, as well as extensive drainage improvements on surrounding residential streets. These efforts are part of the county’s established Residential Stormwater Drainage Improvement Program.
Before these critical projects can commence, the county has identified a need to ascertain the ownership status of land that was originally designated as “Drainage Reservations” or “Future Road Reservations.” These designations were established decades ago when the community was first planned to facilitate the development of necessary infrastructure. The specific parcels involved can be traced across seven different plat book filings within county land records, encompassing Plat Books numbered 11, 13, 15, 18, and 25.
To resolve these ownership queries, the county plans to initiate a legal process known as a quiet title action. This type of lawsuit serves to definitively establish property ownership rights and to eliminate any uncertain or conflicting claims against the property. Under Maryland law, any individual can petition a circuit court to perform a “quiet” of the title when questions of ownership arise, even in cases where competing claims are not actively asserted. This legal procedure generally requires a duration ranging from approximately 10 weeks to over a year, and it mandates a formal notification to anyone who might have an interest in the property before a court can finalize the ownership determination.
Individuals who think they may have a legal claim to the aforementioned reservation areas are encouraged to reach out to Sarah Guy, the Chief of Property Acquisition for Charles County. She can be contacted via email at GuySar@charlescountymd.gov or by phone at 301-638-0806.
