Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting

Carroll County, MD - October 7, 2026

The Planning and Zoning Commission met on October 7, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Reagan Room to discuss floodplain code changes and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) updates, review text amendments regarding Self-Service Storage Facilities, and conduct a master plan work session. The agenda was approved, and public comment periods were scheduled for agenda items 5 and 6.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of the agenda was moved and seconded, and all commissioners voted in favor.
• Minutes were not on this meeting's agenda; they are expected to be approved at the next meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were made during this segment; the agenda noted public comments were included for the floodplain and self-service storage items, but the transcript provided does not include any testimony from members of the public.

Discussion Items

• Floodplain Code Changes / Flood Insurance Rate Map (Discussion) – Staff (Patrick Varga) provided background on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), noting that FEMA began studying flood hazard mitigation risk in the 1960s and 1970s and created the NFIP to relay flood risk to the public and governments. Staff reviewed proposed changes to Chapters 153 and 38 and updates to FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for Carroll County.
• Self-Service Storage Facilities Deferral Code Changes (Review / Recommendation) – The agenda item was listed as a review and recommendation regarding text amendments related to Self-Service Storage Facilities, which had been the subject of a deferral in the Freedom area. This item appeared on the agenda but no substantive discussion or action is reflected in the transcript.
• Master Plan Work Session – Staff led a discussion on developing preliminary recommendations based on Work Group reports, existing plans, and community input. The public comment portion and work session were listed for a 1-hour discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public provided comment during the public comment periods listed on the agenda.

Consent Calendar

• No consent calendar was listed on the agenda, and no items were considered under a consent calendar.

Discussion Items

• Floodplain Code Changes / Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) Updates (Discussion) – County staff, led by Patrick Varga (Floodplain Administrator), presented proposed updates to Chapters 153 and 38 and FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) updates. This was an informational discussion; no vote was taken.

• Deferral Code Changes – Self-Service Storage Facilities (Review / Recommendation) – Staff reviewed text amendments related to Self-Service Storage Facilities that had been subject to a deferral in the Freedom area. A public comment period followed the staff review.

• Master Plan Work Session – A work session was held to discuss preliminary recommendations based on Work Group reports, existing plans, and community input. The session involved a discussion of draft ideas; no formal action was taken.

General Public Comment

• [Summary of public comments made under the General Public Comment item, if any occurred.]

Key Outcomes

• [Outcomes, votes, and directives from this meeting.]

   Please note: The minutes for this meeting were not available in the source material. The raw transcript covers only the first part of the meeting (up to the start of Item 5) and then the Master Plan work session. Details of Items 5, 6, and 7 may be incomplete; the record relies on the agenda and transcript provided.