Carroll County BZA Hearing on Commercial Kennel Case #6609 - May 26, 2026
Carroll County BZA Hearing on Commercial Kennel Case #6609 - May 26, 2026
The Carroll County Board of Zoning Appeals held a public hearing on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the Reagan Room of the Carroll County Office Building. The agenda listed three cases: Case #6611 (commercial kennel, 9:00 a.m.), Case #6612 (retirement village, 10:00 a.m.), and Case #6609 (commercial kennel, 11:00 a.m.). The transcribed proceedings cover only Case #6609, a request by Rachann Mayer for a conditional use and multiple variances to operate a commercial kennel for more than 10 dogs at 6270 Davis Road, Woodbine, on property zoned Conservation District (Election District 13). The hearing included extensive testimony from the applicant, witnesses, and cross-examination, but was not completed; the board continued the matter to June 26, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Numerous letters and emails in opposition were read into the record. Opponents included Jennifer Henneman (resident of Davis Road for 40+ years), Adeline, Jennifer Mooney (Shaladon neighborhood, Mount Airy), Michael Hines, Wick Lane, Margaret and William Dore (requested continuance), Dr. Charlotte Dunnegell (incompatibility with conservation district, unsafe driveway), Todd Bender, Dan Smith, Valley High Ross, Pete Maharitis (strong odors, well water impact from 120+ dogs), Katie Harshman (odor, waste management), Tammy Boyd, Erica Loden (half-mile away, noise, traffic), James Garrity, Eric and Susan Purt, Gail Hawkins, and Michelle Lahoefer (traffic concerns).
- No oral public comment was provided at the microphone before adjournment, but several audience members asked questions of the applicant during cross-examination.
Discussion Items
- Applicant Testimony (Rachann Mayer): Ms. Mayer, owner of the existing Mariah Bell Manor Kennel (a green-certified facility), described her 21-year experience in kennel operations. She proposed a new facility on 21.03 acres (8.31-acre use area) with a fully enclosed kennel building (designed with soundproofing, rock wool insulation, small rooms of ~10 dogs each) and a multi-use building for indoor pool, aquatherapy, and play areas. The facility would accommodate up to 120 overnight boarding dogs and up to 30 daycare dogs (total 150 at capacity), with an industry-standard fill rate of 68–75%. Drop-off/pickup would feature a valet service (doggy drive-thru). Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (closed to public Sunday mornings). Employees: 4–6 per shift. Waste would be bagged, stored in a metal dumpster, and removed weekly. Sound mitigation methods included low ceilings, separate office, and hillside placement. Ms. Mayer acknowledged the existing driveway width of 9 feet (variance from 18 feet) and expressed openness to widening or adding pull-offs but did not include them in the application.
- Witness Heather Reese (Mariah Bell project manager): Testified to the cleanliness and low noise at the existing kennel, with no odor from the dumpster.
- Witness Marty Sitterding (retired attorney, client): Testified that noise at Mariah Bell is barely audible with doors closed and that no odor issues exist.
- Expert Witness Mike Van Sant (surveyor/site designer): Confirmed site constraints (steep slopes, stormwater easement, heavy forest) and that the requested variances met the county code definition. He noted the driveway width variance (requested 9 feet) was because full 18-foot width was not feasible due to site constraints and unnecessary impervious surface. He identified a 0.18-acre area where the kennel could be placed without any distance variances. He testified that Davis Road is an old historical road not up to current standards, but in his opinion it could handle the expected vehicle types.
- Cross-Examination by Opposing Counsel (Grant Amadeus Giel): Challenged the applicant on driveway safety (potential gridlock without pull-offs), noise projections (decibel readings taken with a non-professional app, no continuous monitoring), consistency of the wildlife area usage, and whether the application accounted for the full 150-dog Class C license. Opposing counsel argued that the use would negatively affect property values (citing a 15–20% reduction), create dangerous traffic conditions on narrow Davis Road, and was incompatible with the residential character of the area.
- Questions from Audience and Board: Audience members raised concerns about security, well water impact, number of dogs outside simultaneously, and the applicant's relationship with the on-site renter. Board members asked about the layout of the relief area (1200 sq ft open-air courtyard, 5–7 dogs at a time), sound reflection from the building, and the need for conditions to run with the land.
Key Outcomes
- The board did not reach a decision on Case #6609. The hearing was adjourned and will continue on June 26, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. to hear additional testimony (including a traffic engineer) and closing arguments.
- No votes were taken on the other agenda items (Cases #6611 and #6612) as they were not addressed in the transcribed portion of the meeting.
Meeting Transcript
We're going to call the Board of Zoning Appeals hearing to order. And before us, we have case number six six zero nine. The clipboard on the side table. If you want future correspondence on this case, uh, and this and when we conclude the hearing today, make sure that you leave the same place that you did and turn your name tag in so that they're not wandering around the building looking for you at the end of the day. But with that, Mr. Dixon, could you go ahead and introduce the file? Sixty six oh nine, a request for conditional use and multiple variances for a commercial kennel or more than ten dogs. The site is located at sixty two seventy Davis Road, Woodbine Maryland Property Zone C Conservation District and Election District Thirteen. Hearing notice was posted April twenty second, twenty twenty six by Scott Robinson. Zoning inspector. Site minutes when the board went to the site to visit. There is a response to Bethany Henderson's request of various state and local agencies. The one from permits and inspections. There are no comments from a permits and inspection standpoint. There is a response to Bethany Henderson's request of various state and local agencies from Lisa Staley, Carroll County Environmental Health Department. Proposed use may not be acceptable unless it is demonstrated that there is an adequate water supply and adequate area for the installation of an initial and two replacement septic systems for the proposed use and any existing uses of this property. Okay. There's a number of emails and letters in opposition. And I'm I'm going to, and some of them are exactly the same. So I'm going to go through some of these. Mr. Dixon, for purposes of the record, I just want to clarify that I would object to any letters that are being entered for people who are not here to be cross-examined. Thank you. All right. We'll allow, since they're part of the public record, we will allow them to be to be Mr. Dixon to go through, and he's not going to read them word for word. But since they are part of the public record, we'll allow him to go ahead and do that. Understood. Thank you. All right. Jennifer Henneman, May 26, 2026. Resident of Davis Road for more than 40 years. Enjoyment of the property. Sound of multiple dogs barking throughout the day. Property owners invested in this neighborhood with the expectation that it would remain a residential area where families can enjoy their homes without excessive noise or commercial disruption. Okay, there's another letter from Adeline. Lived on a property ten years and it's been pretty quiet. She walks home from the bus stop, goes by the property where the kennel would be located. There's another one from Jennifer Mooney. Looks like Jennifer Mooney. She's a resident of Chaladon neighborhood in Mount Airy. Strong opposition. Excessive noise pollution, infrastructure and traffic safety, environmental and health risk. Impact on property value and city growth. Jen Mooney. Davis Road is a narrow one-lane road that is not equipped to handle the increased volume of traffic this facility would generate. Environmental and health risk. Mr. Dixon, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I believe that Robin Krauss is the name of the employee, the county employee who forwarded the email, so I just wanted it to be clear. Okay.
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