Carroll County Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting: Master Plan Work Group Reports – November 5, 2025

The Planning and Zoning Commission met at 6:00 PM on November 5, 2025, in the Reagan Room in Westminster, Maryland, for a work session on the Carroll County Master Plan update. After establishing a quorum and adopting the amended agenda, the commission heard administrative updates and then received presentations from the Agriculture, Economic Development, and Housing work groups. Full work group reports were available in the meeting binders and on carroll2035.org. Because this was a work session, no public comment was taken during the master plan agenda item; a general public comment period was held at the end.

Call to Order, Agenda, and Administrative Report

• The commission established a quorum with five members present and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
• A motion to approve the amended agenda for November 5, 2025, was made, seconded, and approved.
• The chair noted that public comment would not be taken during the master plan work group item because it was a work session; general public comment would be heard at the end.
• Daphne Daly reported on administrative matters, including an updated solar project tracking table. The commission asked to add a zoning column and totals for acreage and megawatts.
• Staff mentioned an optional Maryland Planning Commissioners Association training on November 12 in Elkton and possible in-house training as an alternative.
• Staff proposed site visits to upcoming projects on Fridays at 10:30 AM before business meetings. The commission was reminded that site visits must be observation only and should not include discussion that could implicate the Open Meetings Act.

Postponement of November 18 Agenda Items

• Commissioner Peter Lester requested that two items from the November 18, 2025 day meeting be postponed to the next meeting because he would be unavailable: Copper Ridge Solar (S-24-0023) and the Griffith West section concept subdivision plan (P-22-0068).
• Staff said there was no county scheduling need for the items to be heard in November rather than December. The motion was seconded.
• After discussion about process, applicant timelines, and avoiding precedent, the commission approved the postponement on a roll call vote of 3-1.

Agriculture Work Group Report

• The Agriculture Work Group was represented by chair Gabe Zap, with facilitator Claire Stewart. The group had 26 members and met over seven meetings.
• The group's purpose was to explore the long-term viability of Carroll County's agricultural community.
• Recommendations included: protect productive farmland; support the county's 100,000-acre agricultural land preservation goal; direct preservation efforts away from planned growth areas and expand priority preservation and rural legacy areas; update and broaden the definition of agriculture; consider whether commercial ag production and methane digesters should be allowed on agricultural easements; explore using solar development funding as a potential source for ag preservation; review subdivision regulations in Chapter 155 to reduce fragmentation; limit permitted uses on remainder parcels; review the site plan burden on agricultural projects; consider a transferable development rights program; reinstate an Agricultural Commission; address broadband dead spots; and reduce unnecessary engineering and permitting costs for farm structures.
• The group also emphasized retaining property rights for farmers to use, develop, transfer, and pause their land for continued agricultural production.
• During discussion, members said one of the strongest concerns was erosion of the ag zone through parcellation, creating land 'too big to mow and too small to farm.' Ralph Robertson stressed that no one in the group wanted to take away landowner rights, but that the ag zone should be defined so that it remains agricultural. Broadband dead spots in Uniontown and Lineboro were cited as examples.

Economic Development Work Group Report

• The Economic Development Work Group was represented by chair Amy Yingling. The 26-member group was guided by the economic development land use study but recommended a more measured growth pace than the study's moderate, balanced approach.
• The group's main topics were: expanding the commercial and industrial land supply; providing housing to support industry; preserving rural Carroll County; streamlining development and permitting; improving collaboration with the eight municipalities; establishing economic development metrics; continuing business incentives; and investing in public infrastructure.
• The group noted that about 3% of county land is zoned commercial and industrial, compared with a 7.5% regional average in adjacent counties. It recommended targeted infrastructure investment, redevelopment of underutilized sites, and 'setting the table' through proactive county investment in water, sewer, broadband, and transportation.
• The group cited over 29,000 people commuting into Carroll County and 58,000 commuting out for work, identifying a jobs-housing mismatch.
• The group identified eight target areas for future growth: Freedom, Finksburg, the Shamrock Farm area, Westminster, Hampstead, Manchester, Mount Airy, and Taneytown, with specific business sectors and transportation corridors noted for each.
• The group emphasized that agriculture and development should be an 'and' conversation, not an 'either/or' conversation, and that agricultural commerce and development can work together.
• In discussion, Ralph Robertson noted Carroll County has about 287,900 acres, so 3% is roughly 8,600 acres and 7.5% would be about 21,000 acres; he asked how much of the existing 8,600 acres is actually utilized. Staff agreed to provide that information.

Housing Work Group Report

• The Housing Work Group report was presented by Karen Leatherwood. The group had 29 members and was originally chaired by County Commissioner Susan Krebs before she left the work group. Steve Smith and Richard Soisson also served on the group.
• The group began with the county housing study and developed recommendations in seven areas: education and engagement; growth and planning; zoning reform; accessible and inclusive housing; administrative improvements; incentives and mandates; and financial support and education.
• Recommendations included: involving residents early in development discussions; aligning infrastructure with housing locations; allowing accessory dwelling units and mixed residential uses; encouraging a mix of housing types and price points; requiring a percentage of disability-design units; creating affordable housing set-asides or fees in lieu; offering tax incentives; speeding up adaptive reuse of vacant buildings; creating a permit processing help desk; and expanding financial literacy and homebuyer readiness programs.
• Susan Krebs offered extended remarks. She said the housing study contained useful information but was based on 2018-2021 data, and she wished the study had broken out the Freedom and Finksburg designated growth areas separately from other unincorporated areas. She said the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson comparison was instructive but not aspirational. She stated she would never support subsidizing new housing, arguing that new construction is too expensive to be truly affordable and that the county should look at the total housing stock, including older homes. She also noted that income tax and property assessments follow where a person lives, so attracting higher-paid workers to live in Carroll County matters for revenue. She noted projections that the 65+ population could grow by about 32% over the next decade, compared with 4% for other age groups, and called for better aging-in-place housing. She recommended restoring a council of governments to improve communication among the county and municipalities.
• A discrepancy was noted in the discussion: Karen Leatherwood referred to the 'Carroll County 2024 housing study,' while Susan Krebs said the study was done in 2022 and used 2018-2021 data.

General Public Comment

• One speaker during general public comment said that not all housing discussion should focus on new subdivisions; apartments and 'building up' should also be considered in places where infrastructure already exists.

Key Outcomes and Next Steps

• The commission approved the amended agenda and approved the postponement of the Copper Ridge Solar and Griffith West items to the next meeting by a 3-1 roll call vote.
• The commission heard the Agriculture, Economic Development, and Housing work group reports and will use them as starting points for master plan discussions; recommendations remain open to modification or further study.
• Staff will prepare a summary of input received so far for a joint work session with the Board of County Commissioners on November 18, 2025, at 9:00 AM. The board of commissioners also received copies of the work group reports.
• Daphne Daly noted that a Comptroller's office fact sheet describes Maryland as the sixth most regulated state, which she linked to the cost of housing.