Community Issues - Special Laws

Bill 22-14, ML Zone Use - Service Garages

Sponsor: Olszewski
Benefitted: Probably HAIpops Auto Service at 4016 North Point Blvd (now moved to 4040)

Allows service garage in ML IM, by right, if located "in a combination of an AS and IM District".

Introduced April 21, 2014, passed May 22; effective June 4

This Bill was faulty since it added the clause about "combination of AS and IM" both in the new item 29 as well as in the existing heading in Paragraph C, resulting in the already existing 28 items now also being allowed in these additional places. It was never known how much land in the County was effectively "upzoned" by this Bill since, as usual, the Planning Department/Board is never asked to study the impact.

In fact, there should be no ML AS zoned area in the County. BCZR 259.2.B states: "The A.S. District may be applied ... to certain parcels of land zoned B.L., B.M., or B.R. ..."

It is unclear from the wording of the Bill whether it refers to an area that is both AS and IM or to a parcel that is part AS and part IM. If the latter, then "O" seems to have learned this trick from Huff (see Bill 2-14). If the former, there appears to be no sopt in Baltimore County to which it would apply. There are numerous parcels along North Point Blvd that are split between ML IM and ML AS due to previous intentional zoning decisions to make the AS District extend back 300 ft from major roads..


Here is a plot of a part of North Point Blvd (4426-4601). As is the case along much of this area, and others places in the County, the AS District was applied along a 300 ft strip on both sides of the road to allow Automotive Service businesses. This Bill effectively extends the Service Garage use back further from the road, sometimes as much as 1,000 ft if you interpret the Bill as allowing the use only on the ML IM portion, or up to 2,500 ft if allowed on the whole parcel.


This second example along Pulaski Hwy shows how far the Service Garage use is extending into the affected parcels. It appears that this Bill "upzones" thousands of acres in the county.


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Updated 28 Apr 2021 by MAP