Havre de Grace council tables zoning change for group housing at former Mount Zion church after heated public comment

Havre de Grace — The City Council on Tuesday night voted 6-0 to table Ordinance 1168, a proposed amendment to Chapter 205 that would change zoning rules affecting “group housing” and could permit transitional housing uses at the former Mount Zion Baptist Church at 550 Lewis Street.

The ordinance drew more than a dozen public speakers and two hours of testimony from residents, veterans and the developer-operator at the podium. Opponents said the downtown residential neighborhood and a nearby elementary school would be harmed by an uncertain use; supporters, including the operator Communities Helping Empower Patriots (CHEP), urged the council to act to help unhoused veterans.

Why it matters: The ordinance as written would broaden the zoning definition for group housing in the RO (residential) district. City staff and the city attorney told the council that the draft language is broad enough to allow multifamily uses across the RO district unless the definitions and state-law links are tightened.

The debate focused on three issues: whether the proposed text sufficiently tracks state definitions and licensing requirements for group homes; whether the Mount Zion site is appropriate given nearby residents and schoolchildren; and how many residents — if any — CHEP would place in the building.

Residents cited traffic, parking and safety concerns. Carrie Parsons, a Harbor-area resident who reviewed state and municipal examples, told the council she could not find a clear single definition of “group living” in Maryland law and asked the council to reject Ordinance 1168. "I would appreciate it. If you could kindly disapprove Ordinance 1168," Parsons said.

Several neighbors near the church said they first learned of the plan by accident and described worries about increased vehicular traffic, on-street parking and proximity to an elementary school. "Transitional housing for displaced veterans definitely does not fit into this plan of residential housing," said Stephanie Lyon, who lives near the site.

CHEP's leader, Jack Burkerage, said his organization needs the zoning designation to move forward with a formal site plan before the planning commission. "I'm here tonight solely for 1 purpose. Because 29 men that served for us were in a conference room today and listening to them and their story, that's why I'm here tonight," Burkerage said, adding that CHEP has no fixed number of residents to announce until the planning process proceeds.

City Attorney April (last name not specified) cautioned the council that adopting definitions in isolation could have broader code impacts. "When you're adopting definitions in isolation, it has impact on the other definitions in the code," she said, noting the draft ordinance used the term "group living" broadly while other sections refer to "group homes." Councilmember Robertson added a technical clarification: the housing of veterans supported by HUD vouchers is generally funded through HUD-VASH and operates through voucher placement rather than a for‑profit market rental scheme.

The council president then introduced a motion to table the ordinance and send it back to the planning commission for further definition and alignment with state law; Councilmember Robertson moved the tabling motion and Councilmember Boyer seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

What the council did: By tabling Ordinance 1168, the council halted further action pending a planning commission review and specific amendments to (a) clarify whether state COMAR definitions apply, (b) require state licensing where applicable, and (c) narrow the draft language so it cannot be read to permit multifamily development across the RO district.

The council recorded the motion to table as the final action on the item for the night; councilmembers voted in the affirmative: Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Boyer, Councilmember Booger, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Shanagis, and Council President Ringstalker.

Next steps: The planning commission will consider definitional and scope changes and the council may revisit a revised ordinance at a future meeting. CHEP representatives said they will continue community engagement while they await the planning commission’s guidance.

Ending: The tabled ordinance preserves the status quo zoning for the Mount Zion parcel while the city works to tighten definitions and explain how state licensing and HUD‑voucher placement would function if a provider seeks to operate transitional veteran housing in town.