Carroll County Board of Zoning Appeals Hearing on Conditional Use and Variances for Commercial Kennel (June 26, 2026)

The Carroll County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) held a continued public hearing on Case #6609, a request for a conditional use and multiple variances to operate a commercial kennel with more than 10 dogs at 6270 Davis Road, Woodbine, Maryland. The hearing, which began on May 26, 2026, resumed at 2:15 PM (after a lunch break) and lasted until approximately 2:50 PM. The BZA heard testimony from traffic engineers and a real estate appraiser, and received public comment. No final decision was reached; the hearing was continued to July 28, 2026.

Consent Calendar

• A written communication from Miss Boyd (received June 16, 2026) withdrawing her prior opposition was accepted into evidence without objection.
• Expert witnesses were qualified without objection:
  • Nick Dribban (Lenhart Traffic Consulting) as a traffic engineering expert.
  • Tom Weigand (Treffer Appraisal Group) as a property valuation expert.
  • Lawrence Green as a traffic engineering expert for the opposition.
• Exhibits were entered into evidence: applicant's exhibits 9 (Dribban's resume), 10 (traffic impact analysis), 11 (Carroll County Design Manual), 12 (Weigand's resume), 13 (appraisal report); opposition's exhibits 1 (Green's resume) and 2 (Green's traffic impact assessment).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Tom Hyder (6129 Davis Road) questioned the width of Davis Road, stating that two vehicles cannot safely pass. He also raised concerns about limited sight distance at the Davis Road/Gillis Falls Road intersection due to embankments and vegetation. He noted the presence of a school bus stop and children walking on the road.
• Julie Uphoff (6120 Davis Road) asked whether the applicant's traffic study accounted for school bus stops and children walking. She questioned the lack of comparison with other area kennels and expressed concern that the driveway cannot be widened, leaving no recourse if accidents occur.
• Charles Harris (3180 Jubilant Court) questioned the credibility of the appraisal report, noting that no comparable kennels with 150 dogs were studied. He argued that a larger kennel would likely have different property value impacts.
• Charles Cantress (2563 Vance Drive, Mount Airy) questioned the width of Davis Road (claiming it is 14 feet) and the standard for road widths. He also challenged the trip generation assumptions and the lack of evaluation of other kennels.

Discussion Items

• Applicant's Traffic Impact Analysis (Nick Dribban): Dribban testified that the proposed kennel would generate 28 peak-hour trips (75% occupancy) to 40 peak-hour trips (100% occupancy) based on data from the applicant's existing kennel. He stated that the ITE manual does not include a land use for kennels, so trip generation was based on empirical data from the applicant. His study analyzed intersections at Davis Road/Gillis Falls Road and the site driveway/Davis Road, finding both operate at Level of Service A (best). He noted zero police-reported crashes on Davis Road and Gillis Falls Road from 2019-2026. He acknowledged that the study was not formally scoped with county staff, as a traffic impact study may be required later during site development plan review. He also argued that agritourism (a by-right use) could generate more traffic.
• Applicant's Property Value Study (Tom Weigand): Weigand presented a paired sales analysis comparing sales of homes near six other kennels in Carroll County with sales of similar homes further away. He analyzed 30 paired sales from 2019-2024. His conclusion: the average impact was a positive $6,886 (1.1%) for properties near kennels, with 22 pairs showing positive impacts and 8 negative. The median impact was positive $5,299 (0.98%). He testified that the study found no evidence of external obsolescence (decrease in property values) caused by kennels. Under cross-examination, he acknowledged that none of the comparable kennels had a capacity over 50 dogs (the proposed kennel would have up to 150), and that only 1 of the 30 paired sales was within 600 feet of a kennel (the approximate distance of neighboring homes to the proposed site). He also confirmed he did not visit the sold properties or analyze buffering, sound abatement, or operational characteristics of the kennels.
• Opposition's Traffic Analysis (Lawrence Green): Green testified for the opposition, stating that using the ITE land use for a daycare center (as the closest analogy), the kennel could generate 531 daily trips—quadrupling traffic on Davis Road (which currently has 178 vehicles per day). He identified several safety concerns: a substandard sight distance (200-225 feet vs. 445 feet required) at the Davis Road/Gillis Falls Road intersection; the site driveway is only one lane (conflict requiring vehicles to back up); narrow road width (16-18 ft) making passing difficult; lack of sidewalks for children walking to a school bus stop; and that many drivers would be unfamiliar with the area. He concluded that the site would create dangerous traffic conditions and that the applicant's traffic study was flawed because it assumed two lanes at the site access. He suggested mitigation (widen Davis Road, improve sight lines, provide sidewalks) but noted these would be costly and might not be required.

Key Outcomes

• The hearing was continued to Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 10:00 AM (same location) to allow for additional testimony or deliberation. No decision or vote was taken.
• The Board made no findings or determinations on the conditional use or variances. The case remains open.