Zoning Regulations

An article in yesterday's edition of The Sun for Howard County incorrectly reported the date that the County Council is scheduled to vote on proposed zoning regulations governing communications towers. The vote is scheduled for July 3.The Sun regrets the error.Nextel Communications Inc., one of the smaller cellular telephone companies, is leading the way in Howard County in trying to help curb the proliferation of communications towers.Last week, the New Jersey-based company became the first to respond to county planners' urging to put such structures on county property and build them strong enough to hold other antennas.

Baltimore County's zoning commissioner ruled yesterday that Loyola College can proceed with plans to build a spiritual retreat center on 53 acres of forest and farmland in northern Baltimore County, despite the objections of some neighbors who worry the facility will ruin the rural character of their community. In granting the Baltimore college's request for an exception to build on land zoned for agricultural use, Commissioner Lawrence E. Schmidt determined that the retreat center would be similar to a camp, a land use allowed as a "special exception" under the county's zoning regulations.

County planners proposed last night new zoning regulations aimed at discouraging cellular telephone companies from putting up towers or antenna poles in residential areas.With the boom in cellular telephone use, the towers have proliferated in Howard County, but 16-year-old zoning regulations have not kept up, planners told the county Planning Board."There's no incentive to not locate in a residential district," said William O'Brien, the county's zoning chief.The new regulations would tighten limits on the structures in residential districts and ease them in areas zoned for industrial and commercial uses.

Among the 350 pages of rewritten zoning regulations County Council members must mull before approving a comprehensive rezoning plan for eastern Howard County are five paragraphs of regulations that some county residents fear will bring vagrants to their neighborhood.The last time this problem arose, Elkridge resident Donald Grabowski remembered, his windshield was smashed, his gas grill was stolen, and his tires were slashed.He doesn't know who did it, but after county authorities had vacant trailers removed from the neighboring mobile home park about two years ago, the incidents stopped.

A group hoping to block construction of a used car lot near Lisbon is trying to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat. The site in Daisy has been zoned commercial for more than 50 years, and other vehicle-related businesses operate there. But more than 200 residents met to protest when they learned about plans for a 3,850-square-foot building and 155-vehicle lot on 4.2 acres at Daisy and Union Chapel roads. County officials have said they can't stop the legal use of a property owner's land.

Residents rallying against the plans of a southwest Baltimore County trucking company to expand closer to their small Lansdowne neighborhood will take their concerns about noise and pollution to a county board today. New England Motor Freight Co. plans to renovate and expand its terminal to accommodate 300 trucks - up from about 70 - and increase the number of trailers parked on the site from 131 to 260. The company's plan was approved by a zoning commissioner in September, who granted New England Motor Freight a special exception to rules that require trucking companies to be set back 300 feet from residences.

Proposed zoning regulations designed to permit Worldbridge, a cultural theme park and trade center planned for 1,000 acres in Middle River, are about to be passed onto the Baltimore County Council for final approval.P. David Fields, director of the county planning department, said his office would turn in a "minority report" to the planning board today. That report details the opposition of the developer and several community leaders to the legislation, but for different reasons.The developer is opposed to revised regulations that would:* Forbid Worldbridge from having a landing pad for helicopters.

The county Zoning Board members took extra steps to accommodate home-based businesses last week, voting to relax space, employee and delivery restrictions in county zoning regulations.The new regulations will bring hundreds of current violators into compliance, said Joseph Rutter, county director of planning and zoning."It recognizes what's out there," Rutter said of new regulations governing home-based contractors, one of two new sections being added to the county's zoning regulations. "Right now, I've got them backed into a corner -- they either fight it or they hold us off as long as possible."

The most frequent reasons for neighbor disputes are trees, fences, boundaries, easements and noise, says Cora Jordan, author of "Neighbor Law," a self-help guidebook.The law offers protection from disturbing activities. Whether it's a zoning ordinance, community association regulation or subdivision rule, almost anything that a neighbor does that provokes anger or annoyance can be rectified.The simplest way to deal with a neighbor problem is by friendly negotiation and face-to-face communication.

The Howard County Zoning Board made it easier last night for property owners to obtain variances by giving county planners wider authority to grant them.But the Zoning Board did not give planners as much authority as they had sought.At last night's work session, the County Council, sitting as the Zoning Board, gave tentative approval to an amended set of changes to zoning regulations.The 4-0 vote is nonbinding because regulations must be drafted and signed by board members to become official.