Howard County Hearing Examiner Continues Maple Lawn PDP and Zoning Hearing on July 23, 2026

On July 23, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., Hearing Examiner Joyce Nichols continued the evidentiary hearing in ZB 1134M/ZB 1134PDP (Olde Scaggsville, LLC and G&R Maple Lawn, Inc.) in the George Howard Building, Banneker Room, with participation by WebEx. The hearing, begun July 15, 2026, concerns a zoning map amendment from B-1 to RR-MXD-3 and an amended preliminary development plan (PDP) for Maple Lawn (11292 Buch Way, Laurel, MD; 11788 Scaggsville Road, Fulton, MD). The proposal would incorporate the Bookway parcels into the PDP, add a 260-unit apartment building with 39 moderate-income housing units, expand the Maple Lawn West single-family component, and raise density from 2.2 to 3 dwelling units per acre.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Stu Cohen, a Scaggsville resident and president of the Howard County City Association, opposed the petition. He argued that the plan had not materially changed since the 2021 planning board denial (4-1, with eight fewer units), that the zoning criteria had not been met, and that the proposed 30-foot setback for the apartment building conflicted with the technical staff report's 300-foot minimum setback requirement from MD 216. He asked that, if approved, conditions include a written commitment to 15% MIHUs and a 300-foot setback. He also objected to what he called '513 additional units or another approximately 1,500 more units,' and argued the existing infrastructure was not ready.
• William England, a Fulton-area resident, raised continuing concerns about school capacity and traffic, asked whether a school site had been considered on the old farm property, and wanted to see how the community-outreach memorandum addressed those issues. He reserved further traffic questions for the traffic witness.
• Alan Schneider, a Clarksville resident, asked whether the project would dedicate land for road/school expansion, whether the HOA had voted on the MOU, and whether the developer's 'vision' included adequate infrastructure.
• Joe Hurwitz, appearing virtually, did not offer testimony but reserved for a memorandum of law and noted a continuing objection about the Zoning Council's procedural role.

Discussion Items

• Mike Buck (petitioner witness): Buck, whose family property is adjacent to Maple Lawn, testified that the 2016 B-1 rezoning was intended for an 80,000-square-foot office building, but COVID changed the office market and made that use unviable. He described the proposal as a 'seamless integration' into Maple Lawn and '100 percent' comprehensive planning. He confirmed the apartments would include 39 moderate-income housing units and said the 15% MIHU level was economically appropriate; he would not commit to a higher percentage. Under cross-examination, he said his family developed the 283-unit Vine apartments nearby with 15% MIHUs and average rents around $2,200.
• Michael Greenbaum (petitioner witness): Greenbaum testified about his father's original vision for Maple Lawn as an integrated, walkable mixed-use community. He said the 2021 second-amendment plan was withdrawn after community opposition, and the current plan reflects more extensive engagement, including a memorandum of understanding with the Maple Lawn Homeowners Association. He described underused parking lots documented in March 2026 photos, the business district's evolution after COVID, and the need for housing, including rental and moderate-income units. Under cross-examination, he acknowledged the pre-submission meeting (Jan. 9, 2026) drew roughly 40 attendees out of about 5,200 residents, that schools, traffic, and stormwater were discussed, and that no request was made for land for a school.
• Mickey Cornelius (petitioners' traffic expert): Cornelius, a professional engineer, prepared a generalized traffic analysis dated Jan. 26, 2026. He testified that the surrounding road system, including MD 216 intersections and roundabouts, would operate acceptably under future volumes with the proposed development, and he identified no transportation deficiencies. The study counted 276 additional morning peak-hour trips and 323 additional evening peak-hour trips. He also found that business-district parking lots were underutilized and that a portion could be redeveloped while retaining adequate parking. He noted that a roundabout near Lime Kiln/Murphy Road was a possible option, not a committed plan, and that SHA had not yet weighed in.
• Dr. Sarani (petitioners' economic expert): The economic and cost-of-services analysis (Feb. 10, 2026) projected an annual net fiscal surplus of about $818,000 for the development as a whole. The report showed single-family homes generating a positive annual surplus of about $2.24 million and apartments a negative annual surplus of about $1.42 million; over 30 years, the present value was about +$50 million for single-family homes and -$160 million for apartments. She testified that MIHUs were fully included in the analysis and that the overall project would provide a net benefit to Howard County.
• Jessamine Duvall (petitioners' housing-policy witness): Duvall testified that the proposal is consistent with HOCO by Design because it adds rental housing, moderate-income housing, and infill housing in the planned service area near existing infrastructure. She noted Maple Lawn currently lacks purpose-built rental housing and MIHUs, and that the Maple Lawn West property was already planned for development. Increasing the approved 32 homes on that about 110-acre area to roughly 250 homes is, in her opinion, a significant and appropriate supply response to the county's housing shortage.
• Julia Sauer (Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning): Sauer testified that the DPZ technical staff report found no insufficiencies in the PDP petition. She said the MXD-3 zone caps density at 3 dwelling units per acre, and the requested 30-foot residential setback from MD 216 is consistent with other apartment zones, although the existing PDP criterion is a 300-foot setback. Under cross-examination, she acknowledged the report's page 4 contains MD 216 AADT data from 2019 (24,761 vehicles) and that the Department makes no formal recommendation, but she confirmed DPZ's analysis concluded the proposal furthers the original intent of the MXD-3 district and HOCO by Design.

Key Outcomes

• The evidentiary hearing was concluded, and the record was closed.
• Memoranda of law are due by August 21, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.
• Hearing Examiner Nichols will issue a recommendation to the incoming county council, not a final decision; objections may follow after the new council is sworn in.
• Petitioners requested a favorable recommendation; opposition requested denial or, alternatively, conditions on MIHUs and setbacks. No rebuttal case was presented.