Anne Arundel Council approves ordinance to ease temporary prebuilt buildings for religious groups

The Anne Arundel County Council voted 7–0 on Jan. 21 to adopt Bill 9,624, an ordinance that creates a limited exemption to the site‑development process for prebuilt, short‑term buildings used by religious facilities.

Councilman Volkke, sponsor of the bill, said its purpose is “to assist religious facilities that want to expand their ability to offer programs and services to their parishioners without expanding their impervious footprint.” He emphasized the exemption is narrow: a religious facility using it may not increase its impervious surface.

The council opened a public hearing for the bill and received 37 pieces of written testimony. Pastor Arkan, who spoke in person, said the buildings would let churches expand programming in small, temporary structures and that the measure was carefully scoped.

An amendment that would have removed educational facilities from the exemption (amendment number 2) failed for lack of a second. After discussion, several council members expressed support for the bill’s narrow language and for the sponsor’s effort to target a specific problem in the code.

Council members voting aye were: Councilwoman Fiedler, Councilwoman Radvian, Councilwoman Ledbetter, Councilman Smith, Councilwoman Pickard, Councilman Volkke and Chair Hummer. The clerk announced “7 in the affirmative, none in the negative.”

The administration (Ethan Hunt, with Lynn Miller, Office of Planning and Zoning, and Kelly Kenny, Office of Law) said it was comfortable answering questions and did not oppose the bill. The ordinance was adopted at the meeting and will be incorporated into the county code as passed.

Ending: The ordinance creates a narrow pathway for certain temporary prebuilt buildings at religious facilities, limited by the condition that they may not increase impervious cover on site.