Baltimore County Board of Appeals denies use permit for group childcare at 2821 Willow Avenue

The Baltimore County Board of Appeals on May 14 denied an application by Megan Lee Britton, operating as M and M’s Childcare LLC, for a use permit to operate a group childcare center class A at 2821 Willow Avenue, affirming an Administrative Law Judge’s September 30, 2024, opinion and order that had denied the permit.

The denial came after the three-member panel found the property does not meet Baltimore County zoning bulk standards—including required setbacks and fence-location rules—and expressed a majority concern that traffic and pick-up/drop-off on a narrow street without sidewalks presented a child-safety risk. The board also concluded it could not rely on a recently enacted Maryland land-use provision because that statute will not take effect until October and therefore is not yet law.

The board’s decision followed review of written memoranda from the petitioner and counsel, written materials submitted by protestant Keona Taylor and multiple letters of community support for…