Zoning Commission

In a unanimous vote yesterday, the county commissioners formally trimmed the Planning and Zoning Commission to five members from seven. Officials will not have to ask for resignations because two members recently left the planning body. Grant Dannelly left when his term expired last month, and Thomas Hiltz resigned last fall. State law allows for a five- to seven-member commission. The previous Board of County Commissioners increased the planning panel to seven members to give slow-growth advocates a voice on the body.

An ordinance approved last night by the Taneytown City Council will allow developers and planning boards more flexibility in designing developments with a mix of architectural styles and housing types.The Community Village ordinance can be applied to existing housing developments, said Mayor Henry C. Heine. The ordinance keeps the existing zoning structure, but allows a developer to seek exceptions in a give-and-take process with the Planning and Zoning Commission.Until now, a developer was limited in designing homes to exact specifications in the zoning laws, such as how deep the front yard can be and whether the units would be single-family, duplex or townhouses, Heine said.

Calling it a conflict of interest, members of the Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission said yesterday that fellow member Grant S. Dannelly should not have supported a proposed road that would cross a piece of property he owns.But some members were quick to defend him, saying they accepted his explanation that he forgot to tell the commission about the potential conflict. Dannelly is under investigation by the county attorney for a possible ethics violation."He should have recused himself," said Thomas Hiltz, a commission member.

FireManchester: Firefighters from Manchester, Hampstead and Lineboro responded at 5: 52 p.m. Thursday to a house fire in the 4200 block of Hanover Pike.Public meetingHampstead planning: Hampstead Planning and Zoning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. today at Town Hall, 1034 S. Carroll St. Information: 410-239-7408.Pub Date: 8/30/99

An obscure yet stubborn Westminster zoning commission -- that includes a nurse, a high school wrestling coach and a college history professor -- is threatening a multimillion-dollar expansion by Random House, Carroll County's largest employer.The New York publishing giant wants to increase its sprawling warehouse complex and create a single, nationwide distribution center for its extensive list of imprints: Random House, Knopf, Ballantine, Bantam, Doubleday, Dell and Broadway Books. The expansion -- aided by a $2.5 million state grant -- has breezed through regulatory bodies.

After a lengthy public hearing, the county Planning and Zoning Commission approved site plans yesterday for construction of an apartment complex for the elderly on the south side of Liberty Road in Eldersburg. Plans for the 75 rental units have been on the drawing board for more than a decade. The county Board of Zoning Appeals initially gave the project the go-ahead in 1987. The developer made revisions to the original plans and in 1991 received the board's blessing for a second time -- a step that was required because the site is zoned for residential use, with homes on half-acre lots.

A move by Random House Inc. to turn Westminster into its sole national distribution center was dealt a blow last night by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission.The panel voted to extend water and sewerage service to 9 acres Random House needs to expand its distribution facility only if the property is annexed by Westminster.If the property is annexed, Random House would have to pay property taxes to Westminster.Random House is the No. 3 media and publishing company in the world behind Time Warner Inc. and Walt Disney Co. Its distribution center is on Lucabaugh Mill Road near Route 27 near Cranberry Mall.

Clearing the way for Random House Inc. to turn Westminster into its sole national distribution center, the county Planning and Zoning Commission approved a package of rezoning and site plan changes yesterday for expanding the publisher's facilities. In a unanimous decision, the seven-member commission approved plans for a 325,000-square-foot warehouse -- 47,000 square feet larger than originally planned -- at Random House Inc.'s facility on the northeast edge of Westminster. Construction is expected to be completed early next year.

Public meetingsSykesville planning: The Sykesville Planning and Zoning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. today in the Town House meeting room at 7547 Main St. Information: 410-795-6390.

The Taneytown City Council is considering how much of a stretch of East Baltimore Street should be changed from a residential zone to one that allows some restricted business.One proposal is to let the new zone extend from Fairground Avenue to Ash Drive, on the south side of East Baltimore Street. The north side of that stretch is a less restricted general business zone.But nearby residents say the proposed zone would endanger a block of the historic district and put more commercial development close to their homes.