Howard County Hearing Examiner BA 26-002V Garage Variance Hearing, April 23, 2026
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Howard County Hearing Examiner BA 26-002V Garage Variance Hearing
On Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (agenda time), the Howard County Hearing Examiner, Joyce Nichols, held a hybrid evidentiary hearing in the Banneker Room of the George Howard Building in Ellicott City, Maryland, and via WebEx on application BA 26-002V. Robert Warner petitioned for a residential district variance at 8496 Thomas Williams Way, Columbia, Maryland. The agenda listed a request to reduce the side-yard setback from 10 feet to 4 feet 4 inches to build a 28-foot by 18-foot attached garage. At the hearing, the parties also addressed an existing shed on the property, with a requested setback of 4 feet 2 inches. No minutes were available to reconcile that additional item with the agenda.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Robert Warner, the applicant, testified in support of the variance. He said the garage would be placed beside the existing parking pad, would be 4 feet 4 inches from the side property line, and would meet the neighborhood's character with vinyl siding. He described the lot as unusually narrow and parallelogram-shaped, and said the house was built around 1998 and was tightly positioned in the front corner.
- Mr. Warner stated that no trees would be removed and that a group of evergreen privacy trees would be protected. He also said the rear yard was too narrow for a detached garage and that the existing shed predated his purchase, so the shed's encroachment issue was not self-created.
- Donna J. Williams, who resides at 8490 Thomas Williams Way and stated she had lived in the neighborhood for 35 years, testified in opposition. She said she did not want another structure added closer to her property, and noted that the applicant had already placed a fence on or very close to the property line. She also described other neighborhood disputes involving the applicant.
- Gertie Thomas Williams, the 90-year-old mother of Donna J. Williams, stated that she did not object to a structure if it followed the 10-foot setback law, but she did not want any structure too close to the property. She also supported the property line and referenced the same fence concern.
- Mr. Warner responded that he built the fence only after a survey showed the previous owner's driveway crossed the neighboring property line and used the neighbor's property for parking. He said the fence kept vehicles on his own property.
Discussion Items
- The hearing officer reviewed the relevant variance findings with the applicant, including taking a nonconforming structure as a unique condition of the narrow, unusually shaped property.
- The officer and applicant stated that the garage would be no closer than 4.4 feet to the property and that the proposed relief was the minimum necessary to avoid locating the garage in the concentration of the backyard.
- The applicant said adjacent land was already developed, including one residential lot and a church parking lot, and that the garage would not alter the essential character of the neighborhood.
- The property is not located in a historic district, although the applicant acknowledged a nearby church with a historic status.
Key Outcomes
- The evidentiary hearing was concluded at that hearing.
- The hearing officer did not announce a final decision during the meeting.
- The hearing officer stated that a decision and order would be forthcoming.
- No vote was held because the matter is decided by the Hearing Officer's written decision rather than a motion.
Meeting Transcript
Is being recorded and summarized. Good morning. It is the 23rd of April. We are here for application BA26-002 V. A request by Robert Warner for the property at 8496 Thomas Williams Way. It is a request for a variance. For a new garage. The variance would be 5.8 inches of the 10 foot setback. And for an existing shed, which would be a variance of 5 foot 10 inches from the side yard setback. All right. Good morning, Mr. Warner. Good morning. How are you? I'm great, thanks. Okay, good. You're gonna present your case? Yes. Okay, why don't you take a seat up there? And I'm gonna swear you in. And this the citizens here are any either of you in opposition. No. No. Neither of you. Okay. All right, sir. I need to swear you in. I saw me swear or affirm under the penalties of perjury that the responses given in statements made should be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I do. Thank you. Please state your name and address for the record. My name is Robert Warner. Address 8496 Thomas Williams Way, Columbia, Maryland, 21045. Okay, wonderful. What would you like to say today? So the petition here is for a 20. Sorry, let me make sure I've got my measurements correct here. A garage on the side of the house that's 28 by 18, uh, and it will uh encroach the side setback by a little bit, as well as there is an existing shed that was on my property before I uh bought my house. That there is a uh slight encroachment same encroachment of the same side setback of uh approximately well the setback request uh variance requested is four foot two inches for the shed to change the setback to four foot two inches for the shed and for the garage we want to have the setback to uh four foot four inches. So four foot four inch for both. Basically, uh there's like a couple inch if you look at it uh difference between the shed and the garage itself. Um generically 4.4 for each. Uh well uh the four foot two for the garage, I'm sorry, for the shed specifically at four foot four inches for the garage. Okay, and and those measurements are sufficient? Yes. Okay. That's all I have. Oh, do you like me to go into the I could go into the actual uh the um questioning? So the um so that there are unique physical conditions of the property. Um essentially I can go into the my my lot is very parallelogram shaped, pretty narrow.
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