Howard County Planning Board Meeting – July 23, 2026: Fall River Terrace and Chase Bank Approvals

The Howard County Planning Board met in person and virtually on July 23, 2026, in the C. Vernon Gray Room at the George Howard Building, 3430 Courthouse Drive, Ellicott City, Maryland. Members Mr. Gotzi, Mr. Tilberg, and Ms. Moore were present, establishing a quorum. The board approved the agenda, adopted the minutes of the July 9, 2026 virtual meeting, and voted unanimously to approve two site development plans: SDP-26-014 (Fall River Terrace affordable housing redevelopment) and SDP-26-016 (JP Morgan Chase Bank in Clarksville).

Consent Calendar

• Agenda approved by unanimous consent following a motion and second.
• Minutes: The recording of the July 9, 2026 WebEx virtual Planning Board meeting was adopted as the board's approved minutes.
• Chair's announcement: The August 6, 2026 meeting is canceled because the county office building is closed for energy savings week; the next meeting will be August 20, 2026, leaving one Planning Board meeting in August.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Barbara Scott (nearby condominium owner who lived 22 years in Deering Woods): Expressed general support for the community process but raised two concerns: traffic safety on Harper's Farm Road (her son was rear-ended and pushed into oncoming traffic while turning into Deering Woods) and the hillside/tree barrier adjacent to her property. She asked what the traffic plan would be for the additional cars.
• Melissa Curtin (president and CEO, Community Foundation of Howard County): Expressed full support for SDP-26-014. She said the plan meets all relevant county requirements after three review cycles with the Subdivision Review Committee (which found it approvable pending minor comments), will enhance the community through multi-use paths, an improved pedestrian crossing, landscaping, and stormwater management, and is consistent with HoCo By Design's equity principle.
• Jackie Yang (Housing Affordability Coalition of Howard County): Stated the coalition strongly supports approval. She cited the DPZ staff report, the April 2025 Harper's Choice Community Association board approval, and the May 2026 Subdivision Review Committee endorsement, and said the project advances goals for diverse, attainable, quality housing in amenity-rich neighborhoods.
• Dan Kelleher: Said he has worked over 16 years to redevelop these sites (three in Wilde Lake Village and two in Harper's Choice), described the properties as a "gateway to town center," and encouraged approval of SDP-26-014.
• Suzanne Weiss: Urged the board to reconsider the number of units at Fall River Terrace and to look at Enterprise's overall pattern of redevelopment in the area. She cited four projects — Legacy at Cedar Lane (62 to 123 units), Fall River Terrace (56 to 76 units), Legacy of Twin Rivers (62 to 123 units), and Rideout Heath (56 to 76 units) — and said that totals 317 current units going to 480 units (163 more apartments). She stated that at the 1.5 parking spaces per unit she recalled from an earlier community presentation, that means 244 more cars in Harper's Choice Village, and argued Cedar Lane and Harpers Farm Road cannot handle the traffic; she said she would shop elsewhere rather than at the Safeway Village Center, which she predicted would lose business. She acknowledged the mission is noble but said concentrating the new housing in the same area is not good for the community.

Discussion Items

SDP-26-014 Fall River Terrace (Enterprise Community Homes Housing, LLC)

• Project description: Redevelopment of the Fall River Terrace townhome-style apartment complex at the northeast corner of Harpers Farm Road and Elliott's Oak Road in the village of Harper's Choice, on 2.84 acres zoned New Town. The applicant proposes a four-story, 76-unit apartment building with surface parking, outdoor amenity areas, and landscaping. The existing 56-unit complex (built 1971; approved under SDP 68006 in 1969; two- and three-story walk-up structures with outdated, energy-inefficient systems) and its parking will be demolished. Twenty-five existing apartments serve very-low-income residents under a HUD housing assistance payment contract; the rest are workforce housing.
• Staff presentation (Donna Depree, DPZ): The plan is subject to the development criteria in Final Development Plan FDP 30A6, the amended fifth edition of the Subdivision and Land Development Regulations, and the Howard County Design Manual. The Subdivision Review Committee found the plan in conformance, including forest conservation, landscaping, and stormwater management. Ten specimen trees will be removed and mitigated at 2:1 with 20 native shade trees.
• Applicant presentation (Tom Cole, attorney; Alex Hoffman, Enterprise Community Development; Dan Sweeney): Enterprise is a nonprofit affordable housing developer that owns and operates 15 Howard County communities serving over 1,300 households. The new building retains one- through four-bedroom unit types; four apartments will meet uniform federal accessibility standards and two will accommodate residents with hearing and visual impairments. Amenities include a community room, fitness room, business center, telework space, game room, secure indoor bike parking, package room, patio, recreation lawn, and playground, plus a direct connection to Columbia Association pathways.
• Site improvements: New multi-use path along Elliott's Oak Road and Harpers Farm Road; upgrade of the CA trail from a 6-foot to a 10-foot multi-use path; a pedestrian refuge island on Elliott's Oak Road; internal sidewalks; EV charging; and exterior bike racks. A future phase on the western portion of the site (non-buildable parcel B) anticipates six for-sale townhouses under a future site plan.
• FDP compliance: Building set back more than 100 feet from Harpers Farm Road (25-foot requirement); 76 units within the allowable density; building height 46 feet (60-foot maximum); 102 parking spaces provided, matching the required 1.34 spaces per unit; building coverage 25% (30% maximum). Landscaping totals 119 trees, 425 shrubs, and additional perennials/grasses, exceeding Landscape Manual requirements, and was approved by the Harper's Choice Architectural Committee.
• Traffic: In response to public concerns, the applicant stated the site plan underwent adequate public facilities testing for traffic and met the county's requirements. DPZ staff confirmed the Development Engineering Division reviewed and approved the traffic studies, and noted plans are not brought to the board unless they satisfy adequate public facilities requirements.

SDP-26-016 JP Morgan Chase Bank

• Project description: The applicant proposes a new 3,500-square-foot Chase Bank branch with associated parking, utilities, and site amenities on approximately 1.70 acres (Lot W 2) in the Village of River Hill, Clarksville. The property currently contains a vacant former Ruby Tuesday restaurant and parking lot; the site will be subdivided to create two lots.
• Staff presentation (Nicholas Haynes, DPZ): Financial institutions are a permitted use in the commercial land use area of the River Hill Final Development Plan. The FDP parking ratio is 5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of net leasable area; the bank requires 18 spaces and the plan provides 28. No height or coverage limits apply. Setbacks of 30 feet from public rights-of-way are maintained. Landscaping includes 6 street shade trees along Clarksville Pike and Daybreak Circle, plus 9 shade trees, 2 ornamentals, and 105 shrubs.
• Requested adjustment: One parking space in the southwest corner of the proposed parking area encroaches into the 10-foot parking-area setback. Staff explained the board may approve the adjustment if it will not alter neighborhood character, impair adjacent property, or harm public welfare, and is needed due to practical difficulties or results in better design.
• Applicant presentation (Chrissy Bauer, Bowler Engineering, for Chase): Access will be from Daybreak Circle only, with no main entrance off MD 108. The encroaching parking space is an existing nonconformity approved with the original site plan; the curb line is unchanged, and the new subdivision line creates the setback issue. A design manual waiver was also requested to allow 4 ATM stacking spaces instead of the usual 5, because the drive-through is ATM-only with no teller. Stormwater quality will be treated by a proposed modular wetland facility; forest conservation will be satisfied through fee-in-lieu, with no forest clearing.
• Public testimony: One online speaker, Joel Horwitz, could not be heard due to technical difficulties (apparently connected to another WebEx meeting). After the Planning Board attorney advised the board was not required to wait, the board proceeded without his testimony.
• Board discussion: A board member asked whether the motion needed to expressly reference the adjustment; staff advised that a motion approving the SDP as submitted was appropriate, since the request includes the adjustment.

Key Outcomes

• SDP-26-014 Fall River Terrace: Approved unanimously (all three members present) upon motion and second. The approval includes the finding that the plan complies with the FDP and applicable regulations.
• SDP-26-016 JP Morgan Chase Bank: Approved unanimously (all three members present) upon motion and second, with the adjustments requested by the petitioner — including the parking-area setback encroachment and the design manual waiver for ATM stacking spaces.
• Next meeting: The board adjourned by unanimous consent; the next Planning Board meeting will be held August 20, 2026 (the August 6, 2026 meeting was canceled).