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Record of Proceedings

Zoning Board Work Session – April 15, 2026: Approval of ZB 1133M Rezoning Petition

County Council & Boards — Wednesday, April 15, 2026
BodyHoward County, Maryland
SessionCounty Council & Boards
DateWednesday, April 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 25:17

Original source
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0:00

This webinar is being recorded and summarized.

0:05

Good evening.

0:06

The purpose of this zoning board presentation and work session is to review the hearing examiner ZB 1133M, the Howard Research and Development Corporation, as well as the exceptions to that report, and to discuss and vote on this zoning map amendment petition.

0:24

Ms.

0:24

Berg, will you please call the roll for board members?

0:27

Chair Youngman.

0:28

Here.

0:29

Ms.

0:30

Walsh.

0:30

Here.

0:32

Ms.

0:32

Rigby.

0:33

Here.

0:34

Dr.

0:35

Jones.

0:36

He's not here.

0:37

And Ms.

0:38

Young is in transit.

0:40

Yes.

0:40

And we'll join momentarily.

0:42

But we do have a quorum.

0:45

Tonight's proceeding is being conducted as a hybrid meeting, which is available in person and virtually.

0:51

It's available to the public through live stream on the Howard County Council website.

0:56

We will first proceed with voting to approve the filing zoning board minutes.

1:02

These are the minutes from the zoning board administrative meeting on April 8th, 2026.

1:07

I move to approve the minutes of April 8th, 2026.

1:11

Second.

1:12

Please call the vote.

1:14

Chair Youngman.

1:15

Yes.

1:16

Ms.

1:16

Walsh.

1:17

Yes.

1:18

Ms.

1:18

Rigby.

1:19

Yes.

1:21

Okay.

1:21

The motion passes.

1:24

As a brief overview, we are meeting pursuant to Rule 2.405D and E of the Rules of Procedure of the Howard County Zoning Board, which state that after the conclusion of a zoning board hearing heard by the hearing examiner, the hearing examiner shall present her report along with the record to the zoning board, followed by any exceptions to the report, and the zoning board shall make a decision.

1:50

Ms.

1:50

Berg, will were any exceptions received?

1:53

Yes, written exceptions to the hearing examiner report were received from Mr.

1:59

Joel Horowitz on April 15th at two April 15th, 2026, on the same date, petitioners council and zoning council waived written responses to those exceptions.

2:10

Okay.

2:10

So that all happened after 2 o'clock today.

2:16

Thank you for getting it all processed, everyone.

2:20

So what we're here to remind as a reminder, the zoning map amendment petition requests to rezone two undeveloped parcels from B2, which is Business General, to M1 Manufacturing Light.

2:36

They're located at 9121 South Commerce Center Drive, Columbia, Maryland, 21046.

2:44

And that's what we're hearing tonight.

3:00

So we will now begin with the hearing examiner.

3:03

Good evening, Ms.

3:04

Nichols.

3:04

Good evening, Council members.

3:06

Or zoning board members, excuse me.

3:08

The case you have before you tonight is a relatively small case in that it not only is only 11.01 acres, but there is no controversy arising from it.

3:21

There was nobody that appeared in opposition.

3:24

The as you all know, with regards to a piecemeal rezoning, you either have to allege change in the character of the neighborhood or a mistake in the last comp zoning.

3:35

In this particular case, there's no allegation of change in the character of the neighborhood, but it's an issue of whether there was a mistake in the last comp zoning.

3:46

This is also not a site plan rezoning, so there is no site plan in front of you tonight.

3:54

The property consists as the chair indicated of two properties, lot A71, which is 5.5 acres, and lot A73, which is 5.51 acres.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████69%
Pending Litigation████████████████24%
Procedural█████7%
Summary of Proceedings

Zoning Board Presentation/Work Session – April 15, 2026

This meeting of the Howard County Zoning Board was held to review and decide on Zoning Map Amendment Petition ZB 1133M, filed by The Howard Research Development Corporation, to rezone two undeveloped parcels (totaling 11.01 acres) from B-2 (Business: General) to M-1 (Manufacturing: Light). The meeting also included approval of the prior meeting’s minutes and consideration of exceptions filed by Mr. Joel Horowitz.

Consent Calendar

  • The Board voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the unapproved Zoning Board meeting minutes from April 8, 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public spoke in opposition. The only public participant was Mr. Joel Horowitz, who filed written exceptions on April 15, 2026, and argued before the Board. He raised jurisdictional challenges, arguing that the hearing examiner’s appointment violated the county charter (Section 405B) because the examiner was not a county employee and that the rezoning should be denied or remanded. He also argued that the hearing examiner’s report improperly dismissed the doctrine of laches and that the Board should refer the employment issue to the ethics commission. The Board heard his remarks but did not adopt his objections.

Discussion Items

  • Hearing Examiner’s Report: Ms. Nichols presented the case, stating that the rezoning is a “piecemeal rezoning” based on a mistake in the last comprehensive zoning (2013). The parcels have never been developed, lack visibility for retail, and are consistent with the Gateway Master Plan’s recommendation for light industrial/employment uses. No opposition was heard at the public hearing. The examiner recommended approval of the M-1 zone.
  • Board Deliberation: Board members (Chair Yungmann, Vice Chair Walsh, Ms. Rigby, Ms. Jung, and Dr. Jones) expressed support for the petition. They noted the land’s long-term vacancy, infeasibility for retail, and potential to generate commercial tax revenue. No questions or concerns were raised regarding the exceptions.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to Approve ZB 1133M: Moved and seconded, the Board voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the petition to rezone 9121 S. Commerce Center Drive, Columbia, MD from B-2 to M-1. A written decision and order will follow.
  • No Remand: The Board determined the record was sufficient to make a decision without remanding for additional hearings.
  • Exceptions Denied: The Board implicitly rejected Mr. Horowitz’s exceptions by approving the petition as recommended by the hearing examiner.

Meeting Transcript

This webinar is being recorded and summarized. Good evening. The purpose of this zoning board presentation and work session is to review the hearing examiner ZB 1133M, the Howard Research and Development Corporation, as well as the exceptions to that report, and to discuss and vote on this zoning map amendment petition. Ms. Berg, will you please call the roll for board members? Chair Youngman. Here. Ms. Walsh. Here. Ms. Rigby. Here. Dr. Jones. He's not here. And Ms. Young is in transit. Yes. And we'll join momentarily. But we do have a quorum. Tonight's proceeding is being conducted as a hybrid meeting, which is available in person and virtually. It's available to the public through live stream on the Howard County Council website. We will first proceed with voting to approve the filing zoning board minutes. These are the minutes from the zoning board administrative meeting on April 8th, 2026. I move to approve the minutes of April 8th, 2026. Second. Please call the vote. Chair Youngman. Yes. Ms. Walsh. Yes. Ms. Rigby. Yes. Okay. The motion passes. As a brief overview, we are meeting pursuant to Rule 2.405D and E of the Rules of Procedure of the Howard County Zoning Board, which state that after the conclusion of a zoning board hearing heard by the hearing examiner, the hearing examiner shall present her report along with the record to the zoning board, followed by any exceptions to the report, and the zoning board shall make a decision. Ms. Berg, will were any exceptions received? Yes, written exceptions to the hearing examiner report were received from Mr. Joel Horowitz on April 15th at two April 15th, 2026, on the same date, petitioners council and zoning council waived written responses to those exceptions. Okay. So that all happened after 2 o'clock today. Thank you for getting it all processed, everyone. So what we're here to remind as a reminder, the zoning map amendment petition requests to rezone two undeveloped parcels from B2, which is Business General, to M1 Manufacturing Light. They're located at 9121 South Commerce Center Drive, Columbia, Maryland, 21046. And that's what we're hearing tonight. So we will now begin with the hearing examiner.

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