Planning and Zoning Commission - Regular Meeting

Monday, February 2nd meeting of the town of Sykesville Planning Commission. Um, call the meeting to order and we begin with county update. So, you arrived just in time on perfect timing. Good for you. I uh unfortunately have to read this off of my phone because I was battling the FedEx. All good.

But let me just [clears throat] Sorry. That's all right. It's not going to be a very long meeting. I don't think I have to put in a code to access a document that I made. Okay. Good to go. Yeah. All done.

Um Okay. Uh on January 15th, the board of county commissioners held a work session to review commercial uses in Freedom Planning Area around Eldersburg. Um work sessions are livereamed and recorded and can be accessed through the county's meeting portal and on YouTube. Um nothing super new about deferrals. I think all of that has basically stayed the same since uh last time we I saw you in December. Um oh, there's one update for deferrals. Um so uh there's a as of January 29th, there was a proposed temporary deferral of a data processing centers in Carroll County. data processing centers are currently not specifically addressed in the Carol County zoning ordinance. These uses potentially generate noise use substantial amounts of water and energy and could adversely impact neighboring uses and residences. As such, the proposed ordinance would impose a temporary deferral on acceptance and the processing of applications for data processing centers in Carroll County for eight months. And uh there was a unanimous motion to approve proposed deferral of the acceptance and review of applications for data processing centers in Carol County. Um yeah, I think that's all for deferrals. Uh text amendments. This was just updated today. The board of county commissioners sent a zoning text amendment for the consolidation and relocation of non-conforming use off the

premises signs to the planning and zoning commission for their review and recommendation. The text amendment was introduced to the planning and zoning commission on October 1st uh discussed further on December 16th. It was reviewed and recommended to the board of county commissioners on January 20th. The proposed text amendment allows for multiple signs to be consolidated into a larger sign up to 50 feet high. It will be before the board of county commissioners for a briefing and discussion on February 5th, so later this week. Um, master plan updates. In upcoming meetings, the planning and zoning commission will review master plan goals and consider recommendations from the master plan workg groupoup reports on housing, the economy, and agriculture along with input gathered through public outreach. This effort is part of a broader process to review, update, and propose changes to the county master plan. There will be multiple opportunities for public feedback throughout this process um which is expected to continue through 2026. Planning and zoning commission will begin reviewing visions and goals during the February 4th meeting. Water resources element. This is the same. I don't think there's anything new here. Um Annual report updates planning creates and submits to MDP on behalf of the county and eight municipalities. The 2025 annual report per Maryland's land use article. In December, municipal staff was sent a

worksheet and certification letter template. Staff requests the completed worksheet and planning commission signed certification letter be returned to the county no later than March 13, 2026. A draft of the completed annual report should be available for review in May. Um zoning code review and revision update. The department of planning and land management is seeking consultant support to perform two specific tasks. The first is to review and evaluate the relationship between adopted master plans and the county's current zoning and site development regulations. The second is to provide expert recommendations for code revisions that will ensure consistency with the county's adopted plans. And that is everything.

Well, thank you. Thank you very much. Appreciate questions about anything? Um, I don't think so. We're going to deal with the letter and the report itself is is an agenda item very soon. So great. We'll deal with it. Thank you very much. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thanks. So moving on to the next item which is approval of the minutes. Guess we've all have the chance to read them. Any comments or issues, corrections, anything else in which case I move that we approve the minutes. Do I have a seconder? I'll second. All in favor? I I minutes all approved. Good stuff. So, moving on to the business agenda and um we'll start I I guess we'll start with the staff report. Um just explain what we have and what we need to do. Kevin.

Yeah. So, Carl actually touched on a little bit. So, we're going to review and approve the 2025 Maryland Department of Planning annual report. Um so, to reiterate a little bit of what Carl said, um the county department of planning is compiling information for the annual report. It's a requirement uh from the Maryland Department of Planning and then they use this information to produce a statewide report which helps uh in guiding planning policy and funding decisions for the year. So by providing our data to the countywide so they know it satisfies sexual requirement to submit to the state.

So the plan commission action here just review the annual report worksheet that I went through. was not, you know, typical for us. Not a whole lot of uh information on there. You know, we approved a couple site plans. Didn't make any text amendments or any zoning map amendments this year. We did uh take over ownership of Schoolhouse Road. So, that's on there. But pretty pretty light, but just uh review it and then uh go for approval uh for submitting any changes or updates. If I forgot anything, um if everything looks good, we'll have the chairperson sign the letter and I will into the county.

Um, anybody got any comments or issues with that? Pretty straightforward thing. It is what it is. Um, then I move that we um approve the signing and sending of the annual report municipal letter to the county. Do I have a second for that? Second. Second by all in favor? I Good to go. Um, I guess that will be signed at the end of the meeting. Okay. All good. So, now we move on to the public hearing on water resource. the water resource element and we need a motion to open the public hearing on that. So I move that we open the public hearing on water resource element. No second

seconded by Brandon. All in favor the public hearing is now in session and we're moving on through it. So why don't we start again Kevin? Yep. So tell us what's what with that.

So yep. So, our planning commission this evening uh was asked to hold a public hearing on the updated draft for the water resource uh comprehensive plan element. So, some of this is reviewed from July, but I'll go through it as a refresher and for public record. So, water resource element or the WWRE is a state required element of our comprehensive plan. So the updated version is being uh being proposed represents a collaborative effort by the county and all the municipalities to develop one document that everyone can then adopt which will replace the 2010 version uh that's currently in our comprehensive plan. Um summary document and action items for provided by the county officials uh and included with the staff report some additional specific information pertaining to Sykesville was discussed during the July 7th meeting. Um we During that meeting, we talked about, you know, since the county handles um sexual water utilities and wastewater utilities, there wasn't a whole lot of action items for Sykesville. So, pretty pretty light for the things that it's asking us to do other than just continue our collaboration with the county. Uh so, again, the meant to evaluate water supply, wastewater supply, and public storm water systems to ensure that projected availability and capacity can meet the projected demand. Uh the information is then used to inform future county municipal comprehensive efforts and reflect the growth limits and opportunities impacted by local and regional water resources. Uh it also helps the county municipalities establish goals and action items that they can aim for to best address the issues for their specific water, waste, water, and storm water systems. Um so again, we would just be asked to hold this public hearing and allow for any public comment on the draft document. I just wanted to note that the notification of the public hearing was advertised in the Carol County concert in on January 18th and I don't like the document uh was made available on the county website and also by request. Um so the planning commission doesn't

need to give any feedback or anything like that. If there is any public comment um we're just being asked to hear the public comment make note of it um so that we can provide those comments to the county so they can include that in any updates that they have to make. Uh and then the next step will be once all public or once all the municipalities have their public comments and any edits are made then we will plan official will approve the document and send it to uh our mayor and town council for formal adoption since it is a comprehensive plan element. It will have to be adopted by by them.

Okay. Does anybody have any comments on on the plan at all? I looked it up. I I have one comment that because I think it actually might affect us in in future deliberations. Um at least something to be in the back of our mind even though it's not something that we decide upon. there's a a pretty large excess in terms of the capacity of of water supply 887,000 gallons a day in excess. So in terms of development that there's a great deal of of supply but if you look at the waste water um there there's a significant deficit in terms of what we can actually process in the freedom area. 87,000 plus gallons a day.

And what they say in the document is that that can may be able to be fixed by fixing things like inflow and infiltration, things like storm water or or you know things that that leak into the system and and and add to the the actual flow per day. And also by negotiating an increase in the capacity or or the daily capacity of our existing sewage treatment facilities. Um, and that may or may not be true. I mean, I don't really have the expertise to know, but it seems a little fanciful for that that amount of of deficit to be able to fix it by those things. And um I I think the significance for us is that you know if we've got a very large housing development that may be proposed in our area and this area is 87,000 gallons a day short. Um I think it would be interesting to hear how a developer might plan to get around that or overcome it in in future deliberations. I just wanted to get that out there because I think it's significant. Okay. But that's my only comment on it. The rest of it is is pretty self-explanatory and selfen. There don't appear to be any members of the public here to to make any further comments. So if we have no further comments for the planning commission, then I move that we close the public hearing. There's nothing else we need to do on that. I don't think second.

Then I move we close public hearing. Second for that. I'll do it. Ted give Ted his chance. [laughter]

All in favor? I so we've closed the public hearing on that particular element of the agenda tonight and what is left now is consider discuss act on election of 26 2026 chair and vice chair and if you remember back in December I expressed the desire that since I just turned 70 at that point that it might be an appropriate time for a younger person to take over this particular role. Not that I want to leave the planning commission, but it's a leadership position. And so, um, do we have any, um, any action on that? Any ideas on that? So, if anyone wants to volunteer, anybody wants to volunteer,

it can be anybody. Um, so if anyone wants to volunteer for the role and then we will, you know, vote on the the nomination. Uh, it's totally I'd be happy to volunteer. Okay. Well, if you volunteer, I will be very to be vice. I'll be very happy to vote for you. All right. [laughter] And I'll be very happy to help you out in any way that I can. Yeah. Thank you. Whatever that might be. I'm sure we all will. I think we can we can do a I guess a motion to um to nominate Danny and Phil as chair and vice chair respectively for 2026. So, someone wants to make that motion. Uh, I'll make a motion to nominate Danny for chair and Phil for vice chair for the 2026 planning commission.

I'll second or second. Third. [laughter] So, we'll invulate.

Yeah, we'll we'll work together and yeah, we'll use you until you I'll be here to make sure. Yeah, thank you. There's a lot of it seems like there's a lot of learning around the process and stuff how smoothly you keep everything going. It's worth it to by all means have a conversation with Kevin. Things have been done the way they've been done. I was just having this conversation in since I've first joined the planning commission in my first incarnation on it, but I think it's back in 1999. It's a long time ago. Okay. And ever since then, the chair has taken a specific role in the way meetings are conducted. But it doesn't have to be quite that way. Oh, interesting. All right. So by all means have that conversation have we can we can get together whenever if you have time or you want to perfect

good and I will pass this on to you and [laughter] this is significant powerful I did get to do it once I remember good and I'll still be here so town updates

um yeah so I have a few things u first I'll mention for anyone who is unaware uh Brandon Smith is the new is a new town council member He was appointed to fill Jeremiah's role on the town council and then is now also filling Jeremiah's role as the exeicio council member on the planning commission. So luckily we still have Brandon here on to help us out on planning commission. Um but what that does mean is that we have a vacancy now on the commission. So if anyone knows of anyone that would be a good fit wants to let me know or wants to encourage anyone to volunteer. Um but just want to make it known that we are looking for volunteers to fill the uh bacon spot. But congratulations to Brandon on his appointment to town. Thank you.

Good choice.

Um, few other things. So, the Enclave [clears throat] um townhouse subdivision, they just resubmitted a new set of plans to uh to the county as their final plans. So, I think they're getting pretty close to getting all their county approvals. So, as we know, that's just a, you know, kind of a long process to get all those final approvals. Um but once they have those, we'll we'll bring that back before um the planning commission here for our final approval. Uh really not not much has changed from the last time we saw it. If we recall, the last update was they were changing that village square area from something that kind of had a road around it to all green space. Um so that's obviously been updated now to their more finalized version, but besides that, it looks pretty similar to what we've seen. Um, so, so nothing, at least from what I've seen, that we should be too concerned with at this point. Uh, we, right before the snow, we did start the next phase of the downtown streetscape project. Um, we which is going to be improvements to the parking lot area of the shared parking lot still deli. Uh, I think they took up a little piece of it today right before the snow and then they got covered in snow and ice and so it's been it's been slow going but that started. So once we're able to get some of that snow put out, they'll they'll be out there working.

Does that involve basically a new black top service and striping? Is that is that it? Um on the So in the parking lot, it's basically they're going to redo the whole the whole parking lot, make it nice, some new blackout, new pading, and then uh it's also going to involve some improvements to Main Street itself down there. So, they're actually going to put in some more specialized pavers to create a crosswalk, just improve some pedestrian infrastructure down there because it's become more of a pedestrian hangout spot, especially in the summer these days, a busier area. So, we just want to make sure it's a little bit more conducive to the amount of people that the foot traffic that it's been seeing. So, um so that has has begun and then stopped because of snow. Are the old rails that are on the that side going to go up going to go away? No. That's the idea, I think, is to kind of highlight them.

It's to highlight them like we did on the other side. Yeah. Yeah. I just didn't know if it was staying on that side or Yeah, I think we the plan at least the last time I saw the plan was to keep highlighted all the way through up through the the parking lot that's getting redone. So, so I hope that's what's happening. That was the last thing I saw.

Um and then the Libs Grill station project. So, they got all their MHT approvals, everything from the state. Um, so now they're just working on getting the last few permits or few approvals from the county. So they're they're right on the cusp there. They just submitted their all their updated uh plans for their amended flat as well as their site plan. So we're hoping next couple weeks they'll have their final um approvals from the county and should be able to start demoing the kitchen.

Um, you know, early spring, fingers crossed, and and get going on that. So So it is it is happening still. Yeah, they're they're just working through the f, you know, fine-tuning their their permit requests with the county and getting everything approved there, but they're um they're right on the cusp as well. The town voted a significant amount of money to contribute towards that. Yeah. Yeah. So, the town council just uh recently approved an additional uh amount 400,000. Yeah. 400 or 450. A total of 800,000.

Right. And I think some of that, at least the new money, um, is going to come in the form of some grants that that the town has to allocate. Um, and then some of that money was money that was going to be used to purchase the Old Royal electric property, which which fell through. So, um, but yes, we did we did approve some additional funding for the uh for the project there. The total cost of that project is is really significant. It's surprising to me, but I mean I mean it's a flagship. Yeah. Yes. You remember the number, but I think I think it was $3.6 million in total for the whole project, which is a lot of money. $3 million to do all the work. Yeah.

So, you know, and obviously it was discussed during the council meeting, but uh any improvements that get done to the building stay with the building, which by the town.

Uh and then the only other thing I will mention, so Wednesday of this week, we are having some more BCA hearings. Um, so these are two appeals from the Warfield folks. One is an appeal of the plan commission's denial of the concept plan that they submitted back in July. Uh, so the these applications were put in a while ago, but it's been taken a while to get through all the hearings. So, and then the other appeal is an appeal of uh town manager's enforcement of the PDC plan update requirements that that are in the town code requiring them to go through the um the preliminary or the concept preliminary final steps um when they when a change is made to the plan. Uh so they are they've submitted two appeals for that. So we're going to at least begin the appeal hearings on Wednesday um to be determined if we get through them or not. Uh but but those are coming up. So then we'll be live streamed if anyone's interested in watching that. It starts at 6 PM instead of our normal seven just because we anticipate taking a while. So we wanted to get a little bit earlier to jump on. Um but I will certainly provide updates on how those go at our next that's all I got.

Good. Any questions? Um do you happen to know how the um the back to the Papsco distilling like how the parking spot aotment occurred? Like I think PepsiCo distilling has three spots and a h in a hybrid with Uncle Joe's. Yeah, I'm not exactly sure how the park's going to go. I think they're going to keep at least one ADA space and then I'm not sure how the a lotment is going to be determined after that. Okay, cool. Um it's it's a private public partnership because that park is private uh property, but since it gets utilized so much for shared count events, um Oh, cool. We wanted to pitch in and help improve that area. Um, but I'm not exactly sure how the how they're going to work out. Okay. But that's up to the owner

ultimately. So, um, yeah, not exactly sure. Anything else? No. Which case I move we adjourn? Second. Random. All in favor? I. We're done. There you go. Again, you're all done.