Zoning Officials

A procedural decision by the Howard County Zoning Board on the Rouse Co.'s proposal for a Columbia-style village in North Laurel may hasten the project, a move that has angered neighborhood residents opposed to the development.The board decided last week to have one hearing on the Rouse Co.'s request for a rezoning of the 527.3-acre site off Gorman Road from a business district to a mixed-use category and on its specific plans for the development that call for hundreds of single-family homes and multifamily units as well as retailers and a recreation area.

Two Pasadena men who could be neighbors are taking their squabble over setbacks and house sizes back to the county zoning official who already told them to resolve their differences.On Jan. 2, Robert C. Wilcox, the administrative hearing officer, ordered Edmund Janik and Wilbur Martindale to compromise in their fight over Janik's plan to build a 46-foot by 28-foot Cape Cod-style home on a 75-foot-long lot in the 7600 block of Laurel Drive, near Stony Creek in Pine Haven.Martindale, who lives on the adjacent lot, opposes the project, arguing that the property is too small for such a large building and that the house would impair his enjoyment of the water.

The Mount Vista Golf Course clubhouse had modest beginnings, with plans for a small building that would have included little more than a pro shop, vending machines and restrooms.But as it neared completion, neighbors began complaining that the northeast Baltimore County course's clubhouse was more than three times the size approved by zoning officials -- and they suspected that the extra space would house an unapproved restaurant and catering business.Now, as large sections of the clubhouse sit barren, a drawn-out, three-way fight has developed among residents, golf course owners and zoning officials.

The deputy zoning commissioner who issued an order denying a proposal for a 24-hour diner in Perry Hall was incorrectly identified in yesterday's Maryland section. The commissioner who issued the order is Timothy M. Kotroco.The Sun regrets the errors.Responding to residents' concerns that their nightly quiet could be disrupted, a Baltimore County zoning official rejected yesterday a proposal for a 24-hour diner in Perry Hall.In a six-page order that turned down requests for zoning variances to let a diner be built near the intersection of Joppa and Belair roads, Deputy Zoning Commissioner Timothy M. Zotroco said the proposed 5,500-square-foot diner was too close to neighboring houses.

A countywide civic group is asking Howard County zoning officials to reject Rouse Co.'s proposal for a Columbia-style village in North Laurel because it believes the developer violated county procedures in seeking approval for the project.In a Nov. 25 letter to the county zoning board, officials in the Howard County Citizens' Association (HCCA) said the Rouse "mixed-use" proposal -- a development project that would bring hundreds of single-family homes and multifamily units as well as retailers and a recreation area -- has two parts that should be reviewed as separate cases.

Planning and Zoning Commission member Robert H. Lennon wants a circuit court judge to re-consider his ruling that county ethics commission findings cannot be appealed.County Commissioners W. Benjamin Brown and Richard T. Yates used an ethics commission finding July 15 as their reason for firing the Westminster attorney as a member of the planning panel.The ethics commission said Lennon's legal work for land owners was a conflict of interest in violation of the county ethics law.Although Lennon -- who has been a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission since 1994 -- disputed that contention, he ++ agreed not to represent clients in similar land-use for the remainder of his five-year term.

The Howard County Zoning Board last night delayed a vote on plans for the county's first "mixed-use" development because of concerns that the project would have too much housing and not enough commercial development."

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.

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.

Historic Ellicott City's effort to break its parking gridlock appears to be working -- maybe a little too well.Less than two weeks after Howard County began phasing in the much-talked-about effort, nearly 50 merchants have signed petition asking the county Planning and Zoning Department to lengthen the time restriction for much of Main Street from one hour to two hours.The request is part of the merchants' goal to ward off what they call a "ghost town feel" that many say has afflicted the quaint former mill town's commercial district since a private parking firm began ticketing errant parkers on July 26."