Carroll County Board of Zoning Appeals Hearing – October 27, 2026

The Carroll County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) held public hearings on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in Westminster, Maryland. The board approved an extension of a prior conditional-use approval, approved a contractor-equipment-storage conditional use with variances, denied an expansion of a nonconforming mobile home park, and did not take up the scheduled telecommunications facility case.

Public Comments & Testimony

For Case #6641 (Anchor At Ziles Park mobile home park), three neighboring residents testified in opposition:

• Patricia Gamola, an adjoining property owner on Westview Road, expressed total opposition. She cited a 1987 denial of an earlier expansion, a 1995 zoning decision that said enlargement would not promote orderly growth or conserve residential property values, traffic and safety concerns on Route 27, aquifer and well-contamination concerns, the location of proposed septic fields near her well, questions about an on-site storage business and untagged vehicles, open-burning/smoldering incidents, and a July 2026 real-estate listing that described approval for six additional home sites as already received.
• Stephen H. Zile, a Ridge Road neighbor, urged denial. He said the 5.1-acre parcel is below the 20-acre minimum for expansion, cited the park's nonconforming status and outdated 1982 site plan, complained about lighting, trash, burn piles, unpermitted storage, untagged vehicles, and traffic accidents along Maryland 27, and submitted copies of the 1986 and 1995 zoning decisions as exhibits.
• Timothy Conkling, a Kimberly James Court resident, opposed the expansion because of well-water/aquifer impacts and asked about buffering; the board responded that tree-planting and buffering details would be handled during the site-plan process.

Discussion Items

• Case #6597 – Vehicle Sales Lot Extension: Brad Miller requested a 12-month extension of the BZA's February 25, 2026, conditional-use approval for a vehicle sales lot at 5339 Enterprise Street, Sykesville. Attorney Kelly Schaefer Miller said the client was working with county staff on a simplified site plan and building-permit compliance, and although the full 12 months might not be needed, it was requested out of caution. The board approved the extension.

• Case #6635 – Contractor's Equipment Storage Yard and Variances: Julio and Patricia Coello and Luis Adonay Coelho sought a conditional use for a contractor's equipment storage yard on 3.0029 acres at 4909 Buffalo Road, Mt. Airy. The proposed use would be passive storage only, with no employees at the site, no work performed there, no sign, and no fuel or materials storage. Variances were requested for driveway width, distance from neighboring properties, lot size, and related setbacks. Agency comments included environmental-health concerns about water supply and septic area. Board members noted the property was well maintained, the use was low intensity, and no neighbors appeared in opposition. The board approved the conditional use and variances.

• Case #6619 – Telecommunications Facility: The agenda listed a request by The Towers, LLC d/b/a Vertical Bridge for a 199-foot monopole within a 50-by-50-foot fenced compound at 4506 Grave Run Road, Manchester. This case was not heard at this meeting; the transcript includes a reference to a postponed hearing expected in late January or February.

• Case #6641 – Mobile Home Park Expansion: Anchor At Ziles Park, LLC requested permission to expand the nonconforming mobile home park at 3513 Ridge Road, Westminster, from seven to thirteen trailers by adding six lots. Applicant representatives Frank Samuel and Charles Knill, with surveyor John Lemmerman, said the existing park had been improved, occupancy was full, no new public-road entrances were proposed, a new well had been drilled, and septic-system upgrades had been designed. Agency and staff comments included planning-staff findings that the request was inconsistent with the 2014 Carroll County Master Plan as amended; a traffic review citing serious roadway-safety concerns along Ridge Road/Maryland 27; and an environmental-health comment requiring adequate water supply and septic-system area. The applicants also noted that they had initially requested 14 additional lots before reducing the request to 6, and the surveyor said an older county-approved site plan had shown 12 additional pads.

Key Outcomes

• Case #6597: Approved a 12-month extension from October 27, 2026 through October 26, 2027.
• Case #6635: Approved a conditional use for a contractor's equipment storage yard with six distance variances, a lot-size variance, and a driveway-width variance.
• Case #6619: No action taken; hearing postponed.
• Case #6641: Denied the request to expand the nonconforming mobile home park from seven to thirteen trailers. For all decided cases, written decisions are to be issued within 30 days unless extended; any appeal must be filed within 30 days of the written decision.