OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Howard County, Maryland/County Council & Boards
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Howard County Planning Board Meeting – April 23, 2026

County Council & Boards — Thursday, April 23, 2026
BodyHoward County, Maryland
SessionCounty Council & Boards
DateThursday, April 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:51:10

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:01

Good evening, everyone.

0:03

We ask for your patience as we try to conduct this meeting in person and virtual.

0:08

Please speak clearly into your phone or computer microphone if you are experiencing technical issues.

0:15

Please send an email to planning board at Howard County MD.gov, which is monitored during this meeting.

0:23

Now on to the establishment of a quorum.

0:29

Ms.

0:29

Measure.

0:30

Here.

0:31

Mr.

0:32

Godzi.

0:33

Here.

0:33

And Mr.

0:34

Tilbert.

0:35

Here.

0:35

Thank you.

0:36

We have a quorum.

0:37

All right.

0:38

On to approving the agenda.

0:40

Do I hear a motion?

0:43

I move to approve the meeting agenda.

0:46

There's motion and second.

0:47

All those in favor?

0:49

Aye.

0:50

Aye.

0:51

Alrighty.

0:52

On to approving the minutes of the past meeting.

0:55

Do I hear a motion?

0:56

I move that the recording of the WebEx virtual meeting of the Howard County Planning Board's April 9th, 2026 meeting be adopted as the board's approved minutes.

1:04

Second.

1:04

Motion and second.

1:05

All those in favor?

1:07

Aye.

1:09

That has passed.

1:10

No chair items to be discussed.

1:13

Any executive secretary items.

1:15

No, no executive secretary items other than the staff that were here to present tonight are on leave.

1:20

And so I am presenting to you.

1:23

And I didn't think I did, but Manny said I have presented to the board before.

1:27

So anyway, this will this maybe this might be a first in my memory.

1:30

I don't know.

1:32

So I have nothing for tonight.

1:34

Alrighty.

1:36

On to ZB 1134 M Old Skagsville.

1:46

All right, good evening, Planning Board.

1:49

So Linda Eisenberg, the director of planning and zoning, here with you this evening.

1:53

And I will be presenting to you ZB 1134, which is a map amendment for the property at 11292 Buckway to go from B1 to MXD3.

2:13

And so all right, hold on here.

2:17

What's going on?

2:18

There we go.

2:18

Okay, so can you see my screen right?

2:20

Great.

2:20

Um so the petitioner is here this evening to request a map amendment based on change or mistake.

2:26

So as you recall, there's two different ways you can change zoning maps in the state of Maryland through comprehensive rezoning or using the change or mistake rule.

2:34

Um and so obviously we're not in a comp rezoning process, so this is coming forward as a map amendment, um, alleging change or mistake.

2:42

Um so the change argument, as you know, is an argument that there has to be substantial change in the character of the neighborhood since the last uh comprehensive uh zoning or a mistake.

2:52

Um and you've seen that with Corridor Square was the mistake that you had come forward where the zoning authority aired during the adoption of the zoning map during uh the comp zoning process.

3:03

Um so where are we in the process?

3:05

And I'm sorry, this is not the biggest um thing to show.

3:08

However, we are at the planning board phase.

3:10

So after um planning board makes its recommendation this evening, um, there will be uh a decision and order that is issued um for the recommendations to move forward to the zoning board, and then the zoning board will determine if they're gonna have um an evidentiary hearing on this or turn it over to the hearings examiner.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████88%
Procedural██4%
Community Engagement██4%
Public Engagement█2%
Economic Development█1%
Historic Preservation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Howard County Planning Board Meeting – April 23, 2026

The Howard County Planning Board met on April 23, 2026, at the Banneker Room of the George Howard Building in Ellicott City, to consider a zoning map amendment and a preliminary development plan (PDP) amendment related to the Maple Lawn community. The board unanimously recommended favorable approval for both items to the Zoning Board.

Consent Calendar

  • Unanimously approved the meeting agenda.
  • Approved the minutes of the April 9, 2026 meeting, adopting the WebEx recording as the official minutes.

Public Comments & Testimony

ZB-1134M (Zoning Map Amendment)

  • Steven Puchak (7518 Carpenter Street, Maple Lawn) questioned the change argument, stating that the 2016 approval of B1 zoning was correct then and that commercial demand has rebounded post‑COVID. He argued the rezoning request was built on questionable claims.
  • Two virtual speakers did not connect and did not testify.

ZB-1134PDP (Preliminary Development Plan Amendment)

  • William England (9455 Ellsworth Court, representing Greater Beaufort Park Citizens Association) expressed concerns about traffic (four‑hour study considered insufficient, cut‑through traffic not addressed), school capacity, and a projected $110 million net fiscal loss over 30 years from the apartment component.
  • Steven Puchak (again) acknowledged improvements since the 2021 proposal but urged splitting the West district and apartment components into separate petitions. He highlighted school utilization and traffic concerns, and noted the 36% increase in residential units vs. an 18% increase in land area.
  • John Sandoval (8524 Reservoir Road) spoke generally in favor of the project but urged better preservation of agricultural features (silo, barn) for placemaking.

Discussion Items

ZB-1134M – Olde Scaggsville, LLC; G&R Maple Lawn Inc. (Map Amendment)

Staff (Linda Eisenberg, Director of Planning and Zoning) presented the request to rezone 1.47 acres at 11292 Buckway from B‑1 to RR‑MXD‑3, based on a change in neighborhood character since 2016. The petitioner (attorney Mandy Heinel, developers Michael Greenbaum and Mike Cook, engineer Dan Sweeney) argued that the 2016 decision was correct then, but substantial unanticipated changes have occurred: adoption of HoCo by Design directing residential growth to activity centers, the COVID‑19 pandemic reducing demand for standalone commercial, and the new ability to integrate the parcel into the Maple Lawn PDP. The board discussed the change standard, noting the cumulative effect of policy shifts, the pandemic, and the functional integration of the parcel. A board member found the change argument supported, especially given the underutilized parking lots and shift to remote work. The board voted unanimously to make a favorable recommendation to the Zoning Board.

ZB-1134PDP – Olde Scaggsville, LLC; G&R Maple Lawn Inc. (PDP Amendment)

Staff and petitioners presented a multi‑part request: (1) increase overall residential density from 2.2 to the maximum 3 dwelling units per gross acre; (2) increase permitted dwelling units in Maple Lawn West (Old Farm) from 32 to 253 single‑family detached; (3) incorporate the rezoned parcels (from ZB‑1134M) into the PDP boundary as “other residential” land use; and (4) change a portion of the business district from employment to other residential to allow a 260‑unit apartment building with 15% moderate‑income housing (voluntary commitment beyond the already satisfied MIHU requirement). Staff confirmed the proposal meets all MXD and PDP criteria. Petitioners emphasized compliance with HoCo by Design, integration across ownership boundaries, and the role of the apartments in strengthening the business district by adding year‑round residents. Public comment raised traffic, school, and fiscal concerns, which board members acknowledged but noted would be addressed at later comprehensive sketch plan (CSP) and site development plan (SDP) stages. The board discussed the phasing (apartments first in 2029, then West district in three waves) and confirmed that the West district is the last undeveloped portion of Maple Lawn. A motion to favorably recommend the PDP amendment passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • ZB-1134M (Map Amendment): The Planning Board made a favorable recommendation to the Zoning Board to rezone the subject parcel from B‑1 to RR‑MXD‑3. Vote: unanimous (3‑0).
  • ZB-1134PDP (PDP Amendment): The Planning Board made a favorable recommendation to the Zoning Board for the amended Maple Lawn Farms Preliminary Development Plan, including density increase, unit count, parcel incorporation, and land use change. Vote: unanimous (3‑0).
  • Next steps: Both matters will proceed to the Zoning Board, which must issue a decision by June 23, 2026 due to the election cycle. Subsequent approvals (CSP, SDP) will include additional public hearings.
  • The meeting adjourned; the next Planning Board meeting is scheduled for May 7, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. We ask for your patience as we try to conduct this meeting in person and virtual. Please speak clearly into your phone or computer microphone if you are experiencing technical issues. Please send an email to planning board at Howard County MD.gov, which is monitored during this meeting. Now on to the establishment of a quorum. Ms. Measure. Here. Mr. Godzi. Here. And Mr. Tilbert. Here. Thank you. We have a quorum. All right. On to approving the agenda. Do I hear a motion? I move to approve the meeting agenda. There's motion and second. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Alrighty. On to approving the minutes of the past meeting. Do I hear a motion? I move that the recording of the WebEx virtual meeting of the Howard County Planning Board's April 9th, 2026 meeting be adopted as the board's approved minutes. Second. Motion and second. All those in favor? Aye. That has passed. No chair items to be discussed. Any executive secretary items. No, no executive secretary items other than the staff that were here to present tonight are on leave. And so I am presenting to you. And I didn't think I did, but Manny said I have presented to the board before. So anyway, this will this maybe this might be a first in my memory. I don't know. So I have nothing for tonight. Alrighty. On to ZB 1134 M Old Skagsville. All right, good evening, Planning Board. So Linda Eisenberg, the director of planning and zoning, here with you this evening. And I will be presenting to you ZB 1134, which is a map amendment for the property at 11292 Buckway to go from B1 to MXD3. And so all right, hold on here. What's going on? There we go. Okay, so can you see my screen right?

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com