Charles County Board of Appeals Meeting Summary - February 24, 2026

The Charles County Board of Appeals met on February 24, 2026, to consider one special exception application for a self-storage facility and a pair of variance requests for a cemetery. The meeting began with routine approvals and included public testimony. The Board voted 4-1 to approve the storage facility and deferred a decision on the cemetery variances to its March 10, 2026 meeting.

Consent Calendar

• Agenda approved for the February 24, 2026 meeting.
• Meeting minutes from February 10, 2026, were approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Docket 1479 (Barrie Road Self Storage): No members of the public signed up to speak.
• Dockets 1480/1481 (Heritage Memorial Cemetery): Kimberly Bowling, a 47-year neighbor of the cemetery, testified in strong support of the applicant, Eric Lundy. She praised the transformation of the property from a dilapidated state into a well-maintained community asset and described the positive relationship between the cemetery staff and the surrounding community.

Discussion Items

Docket 1479: Barrie Road Self Storage (Special Exception)

• Proposal: Sage Ventures petitioned for a special exception to develop a three-story, climate-controlled mini-warehouse facility (114,912 sq ft total) with 600 sq ft of office space and outdoor RV/boat storage. The 2.69-acre site at 10191 Barrie Road is zoned Business Park (BP).
• Staff Recommendation: Approval. Staff found the application met the criteria for a mini-warehouse use, noting the property is in a highway corridor overlay zone requiring design review by the Planning Commission. Conditions included a requirement for a Planning Commission site plan.
• Board Questions and Concerns:
  • Board Member Grindle expressed concerns about the ingress/egress for RVs and boats, particularly using the shared access with the adjacent gas station and McDaniel Road. The applicant stated the site plan had been reviewed by the State Highway Administration and turning radii were adequate for fire trucks and trailers.
  • Board Member Brown questioned the failure to identify the legal owner of the property (Dyson Family Living Trust) in the application, the lack of a formal definition for the "general neighborhood," and the missing market feasibility study referenced by the applicant. He strongly recommended the staff's proposed conditions be revised to use “shall” instead of “will be” to make them legally binding.
  • Staff confirmed environmental review for the endangered Northern Long-Eared Bat would occur during the subsequent site development plan process.
• Vote: The special exception was approved (4-1). The motion included the staff conditions with the “shall” wording correction. Vice Chair Watkins, Mr. Trainer, Mr. Grindle, and Chair Humbert voted in favor. Mr. Trasada opposed.

Dockets 1480 & 1481: Heritage Memorial Cemetery (Building Restriction Line & RPZ Variance)

• Proposal: Eric Lundy of Heritage Memorial Cemetery LLC requested a variance to allow accessory storage structures (C containers, equipment sheds) to encroach from 30 feet to 10 feet from the side property line and within the Resource Protection Zone (RPZ). The structures were built without permits on the 79-acre rural conservation (RC) property.
• Staff Recommendation: Approval. Staff cited the peculiar and unusual hardship caused by the site's history as a gravel mine, its current extensive interment areas (over 8,700 burials), and its environmental constraints. Staff noted 2 of the offending structures would be removed.
• Applicant's Position: Attorney Sue Greer and Mr. Lundy argued that the storage yard was located in a logical, pre-impacted area of the property. Mr. Lundy testified that when he took over the derelict cemetery in 2008, the area was already a gravel access road. He brought in storage containers to secure equipment after thefts and vandalism. He stated the cemetery is a heavily regulated (OS of O) affordable burial ground serving the community. He accepted the staff's recommended conditions.
• Board Questions and Concerns:
  • Board members grappled with the legal concept of “self-imposed hardship,” as the structures were placed by the current owner. The applicant's attorney argued the plat showed no building restriction lines and the property was used for mining.
  • A significant procedural issue arose regarding the completeness of the record. The original 1976 Special Exception (Docket 264) for the cemetery, which defines the legal parameters of the use, was initially missing from the board's files but was provided during the meeting.
  • Board Member Brown noted that the concrete block wall on the property might itself be a structure requiring a variance if it exceeded the height threshold for fences.
• Outcome: The Board voted to close the public record but deferred the decision and vote to the March 10, 2026, regular meeting to allow sufficient time to review the complete documentation, including the newly provided original 1976 Special Exception order.

Key Outcomes

• Approved (Docket 1479): Barrie Road Self Storage special exception granted (4-1). Conditions must use mandatory language (“shall”). The applicant must supplement the record with the owner's consent.
• Deferred (Dockets 1480/1481): Heritage Memorial Cemetery variances. The Board will review the complete record and vote on the application at the March 10, 2026 meeting.