Zoning Officials

County zoning officials have forced a Columbia developer to close his weekend flea market until he complies with conditions of a special exception to operate the business.Barry Mehta -- who was defeated Saturday in his bid for a seat on the Columbia Council -- must make these improvements before he can reopen the flea market:* Submit a detailed plan to the county Department of Planning and Zoning.* Screen a trash can, now surrounded by a see-through fence.* Seek approval from the State Highway Administration for improvements to exit and entrance lanes.

The Maryland State Highway Administration and the Maryland State Police have added a speed-camera enforcement zone on Maryland Route 295 in Anne Arundel County just south of the Beltway. The speed camera zone, which was set up this week, covers an area where road crews are working on a widening of 295 from two lanes to three in each direction. The speed limit through the zone, which extends south to Interstate 195, is 55 mph. The project is expected to continue through late next summer, said an SHA spokesman, Charlie Gischlar.

If you've been reading our paper the past months,you know Commissioner President Donald Dell issued a May 16 order compelling county zoning officials to stop searching out violations.You also know we detailed several cases that influenced Dell's orderand one such case involved a farming family the commissioner had known for 50 years.Finally, on July 3, we reported that State's Attorney Thomas E. Hickman had told Dell that the order was "probably illegal," which had forced the commissioners to rescind the memo July 2.The case raises a number of serious questions, both as to the specifics of zoning and to the manner in which this order was issued.

A Baltimore County zoning official has approved a couple's request to erect a windmill on their 59-acre farm in Phoenix as part of a plan to build a "green" home using renewable energy sources. "After reviewing all of the evidence, I am convinced that ... the family should be permitted to forge new ground in the growing field of alternative, renewable energy," Deputy Zoning Commissioner Thomas H. Bostwick wrote in his order, dated Thursday and released yesterday. "On paper, the ... request is simply a request for variance, but the implications of the family's actions may well reflect a change in American attitudes regarding oil and alternative energy uses."

Harry Millstein knows his flowers.The owner of Greta's Gardens in Elkridge knows that cauliflower and broccoli seeds planted in the fall can withstand Maryland winters. He knows that pansies thrive during the spring and fall and must be kept in the shade during the summer.Millstein also knows that marigolds and petunias need sunlight and that if he moves them to a covered porch in front of his nursery as Howard County zoning officials have ordered him to do, the annuals -- and his business -- will perish.

The plan to build a huge Wegmans Food Market at the location of an east Columbia warehouse where the hit HBO series "The Wire" is filming is the beneficiary of an abrupt about-face by county zoning officials. Three years ago, the same idea was rejected by county officials who said industrial zoning on the site, at the corner of Snowden River Parkway and McGaw Road, would not allow food stores. But Marsha McLaughlin, the county planning director, said yesterday that government officials changed their minds on zoning after months of discussion with county lawyers about what she said are the outdated definitions in laws written decades ago. In addition, Wegmans officials really wanted that site and continued their interest, she said.

Keeping an unregistered car on your property in Carroll County couldget you charged as an illegal junkyard operator.Despite losing arecent Circuit Court case against a South Carroll couple charged with violating the county's zoning ordinance, zoning officials continue to enforce a 1978 law classifying unregistered cars as junkyards."

The owner of a Browns Woods auto restoration shop has withdrawn his appeal of three zoning violations and says he's taking part of the business elsewhere to comply with regulations and ease neighborhood tensions.William R. Klamon told the county Board of Appeals Tuesday night that he had purchased a site in Caroline County for long-term restorations and work for insurance companies.The existing garage on Mountain Laurel Lane will continue doing restorations that take less than 30 days.Department of Planning and Zoning officials cited Klamon in February for using excess land in front of the shop, keeping vehicles awaiting repair for more than 30 days and not registering all vehicles and their owners in a log. They also said Klamon, who delivers expert testimony in legal disputes, could not store vehicles for the insurance companies that hire him to testify.

The owner of a Davidsonville group home has accused county planning and zoning officials of reneging on a promise made five months ago and now wants the county Board of Appeals to step in and make those officials stand by their word.Richard Ainsworth, owner of Kris-Leigh Assisted Living, Inc., said the county Permit Application Center granted him a building permit July 3 to triple the size of his group home in the 3900 block of Birdsville Road.The agency rescinded the permit 22 days later.

THE ISSUE A county hearing officer heard last week the case of Daryl C. Wagner, who built a 3,500-square-foot home five years ago on Little Island without county approval. Wagner is seeking to acquire retroactive variances for the house on the nearly 2-acre island. Zoning officials, who originally opposed Wagner's request, have changed their position and now support him. YOUR VIEW Should Wagner's petition be granted? Should any retroactive request like that be granted? Tell us what you think at arundel.

All five Howard County Council members want to limit the times county zoning regulations can be changed, even as they struggle with a difficult example of the practice they want to restrict. A bill set for introduction April 7 would restrict the introduction of Zoning Regulation Amendments, known as ZRA's, to September and March in an attempt to impose order on what chairman Courtney Watson said has become a distracting stream of proposals. A zoning regulation amendment changes the use of all land in one zoning category, a device used in the past by county zoning officials to clear up an ambiguity or alter the use of an entire zone.

The plan to build a huge Wegmans Food Market at the location of an east Columbia warehouse where the hit HBO series "The Wire" is filming is the beneficiary of an abrupt about-face by county zoning officials. Three years ago, the same idea was rejected by county officials who said industrial zoning on the site, at the corner of Snowden River Parkway and McGaw Road, would not allow food stores. But Marsha McLaughlin, the county planning director, said yesterday that government officials changed their minds on zoning after months of discussion with county lawyers about what she said are the outdated definitions in laws written decades ago. In addition, Wegmans officials really wanted that site and continued their interest, she said.

THE ISSUE A county hearing officer heard last week the case of Daryl C. Wagner, who built a 3,500-square-foot home five years ago on Little Island without county approval. Wagner is seeking to acquire retroactive variances for the house on the nearly 2-acre island. Zoning officials, who originally opposed Wagner's request, have changed their position and now support him. YOUR VIEW Should Wagner's petition be granted? Should any retroactive request like that be granted? Tell us what you think at arundel.

Like many residents, Judy Blomquist is concerned about the future of Harford County as a place to live. More specifically, she is concerned about the potential loss of farmland that provides the beautiful vistas, rolling fields of corn and open space that add to the quality of life. That's why she has been paying close attention to the county's first comprehensive rezoning process since 1997. "If all the requests to change the zoning of agriculture to residential or commercial development are approved, we would lose our agriculture industry," said Blomquist, president of Friends of Harford, a citizen organization that monitors growth issues.

County zoning enforcer Neil Ridgely is asking the Carroll commissioners to create a permanent committee that would work to make the county more scenic and inviting to tourists and businesses. Ridgely says he envisions the committee developing new size restrictions for billboards, encouraging businesses to spruce up their facades and dreaming up visual flourishes for the busiest entry points into the county. He said the committee would need about 30 appointees to accomplish that multipronged mission.

County zoning enforcer Neil Ridgely is asking the Carroll commissioners to create a permanent committee that would work to make the county more scenic and inviting to tourists and businesses. Ridgely says he envisions the committee developing new size restrictions for billboards, encouraging businesses to spruce up their facades and dreaming up visual flourishes for the busiest entry points into the county. He said the committee would need about 30 appointees to accomplish that multipronged mission.

SNOW HILL -- Clear battle lines emerged yesterday as the Worcester County Commission began preliminary discussion of amendments to a hotly debated "buffer zone" law for waterfront property owners.Two sharply different proposals were offered to the commission, adding fuel to a public debate that began Aug. 2 when The Sun published a column by Tom Horton criticizing developer and hotel operator Kenny Baker, who has cleared vegetation on waterfront property where he is building a house on Trappe Creek.

County officials are keeping up the pressure on the remaining massage parlor that they say offers masturbation for sale.Councilman George Bachman discovered yesterday that the V.I.P. Spa in Linthicum, which was ordered shut down last week, was still open.A second parlor, the Rose Oriental Spa at 7484-E Candlewood Road in Hanover, was raided and shut down Wednesday for violating county zoning laws.Bachman inspected Rose yesterday morning and, to his satisfaction, found a "Sorry, we're closed" sign on the front door -- tacked on top of the county's order -- and a lone white towel lying in the deserted hallway.

David Titman has a tiny piece of land in Ellicott City - smaller even than a suburban front yard - that looks at first glance as if it's too diminutive to give a second thought. But he sees value in his one-fourteenth of an acre. If he can get the property rezoned, he could construct a modest building with offices, shops or even a home, filling in a long-vacant spot near historic Main Street. As Howard County officials consider how to comprehensively rezone land in the affluent suburb, a step taken only once a decade, they're being asked by many property owners to think small.

Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. yesterday nominated Deputy Zoning Commissioner Timothy M. Kotroco to be director of Permits and Development Management, a post with tremendous authority over the application of county development laws and code enforcement. The current director, Arnold Jablon, is retiring at the end of the month after decades with the county, but Smith has had difficulty finding a replacement for the high-profile post who is acceptable to both him and the County Council.