Howard County hearing: Neighbors seek remand after DPZ again finds no zoning violations at Manor Hill property

Alex Votov, an attorney with the Law Office of G. Macy Nelson representing nearby property owners, asked the Howard County hearing examiner on the record to vacate a Department of Planning and Zoning response letter and remand the matter with binding instructions that DPZ follow prior hearing-examiner determinations.

Votov said the petitioners’ appeal challenges three legal conclusions in DPZ’s response: that a 50-person limit in a farm brewery permit does not apply to events branded or advertised under Manor Hill Brewing; that DPZ need not evaluate whether truck traffic has increased beyond the two 22-foot box-truck trips per week assumed at original approval; and that accessory structures on the property exceed the cumulative 2,200-square-foot limit for accessory buildings in the RC district and are not legitimate farm buildings.

“These are the three major issues,” Votov said, adding that the hearing examiner previously ruled those legal interpretations and that DPZ “did not appeal that decision” and therefore is bound by it. Votov quoted the prior decision, saying the hearing examiner had ruled that “anytime alcohol is consumed or sold on the premises is done under the farm brewery permit,” and that the brewery’s tap room was limited to 50 visitors…