Carroll County BZA approves 16-bed addition and driveway variance for Bethenia Home Care

The Carroll County Board of Zoning Appeals approved a conditional use permit and a driveway-width variance for Bethenia Home Care on Bell Road, allowing the applicant to build a new 16-bed structure adjacent to the existing 16-bed facility.

The board voted in favor of the application (Case No. 6577) after hearing testimony from the applicants and their engineering expert. The written decision will be issued within 30 days, the board said.

The facility’s co-owner, Melson Muneses, described the project’s intent as expanding a home-style assisted living operation already on site. “This is the best place for all these old folks to have their few last few years in their life rather than in an institution,” Muneses said, explaining the choice of Carroll County and the farm-like setting. His sister and co-owner, Machiko Waminal, who operates the facility and lives on the property, testified the facility is licensed by the state of Maryland and provides levels 1, 2 and 3 care, with 24-hour supervision.

The new building, as described by Muneses and Waminal, would add 16 private rooms — each with its own bathroom — and include a quiet room, small conference room, kitchen, living room and porch. Waminal said current staffing for the existing facility includes roughly 15 employees across shifts; at any given time the applicant described three staff on the daytime shift and one overnight, and said the same staffing pattern would apply to the new building.

Engineer Pete Podolak, of Leon Podolak & Associates, testified about site constraints and technical reviews. He said prior percolation testing and early coordination with the Carroll County Health Department indicate the site can support an additional 16 beds but that the applicants must seek final well/septic approval through the county’s site development plan. Podolak also presented a trip-generation summary based on the industry trip-generation manual and said the combined 32-bed facility produced a PM peak-hour trip estimate of about 11 trips, a level he characterized as unlikely to trigger a county-required traffic impact analysis.

Podolak described the existing access as a 25-foot-wide entrance tapering to a 15-foot driveway about 65 feet inside the property; he said the entrance provides stacking and sight distance and that a 15-foot driveway allows two passenger vehicles to pass. He noted the shoulders are stable and that in an emergency a vehicle could use the grass shoulder if necessary. The applicants proposed 17 parking spaces for the combined site; under county standards the required parking for 32 beds (plus employees) is 14 spaces.

Board members asked about emergency access, septic/drain-field limits and the distance between the proposed parking area and the existing building. Applicants and the engineer explained the facility’s septic capacity is driven by clustered passing percolation tests on the property and that site development review would require final health‑department sign-off. The applicants reported roughly one EMS transport every two to three months at the existing facility and acknowledged that calls could increase proportionally with more residents.

During deliberations, board members said the widened entrance and the length of the taper into the 15-foot driveway alleviated safety concerns. The board referenced the Schultz v. Pritz standard during its discussion of intensity and neighborhood impact and concluded the project would not have adverse effects greater than similar assisted‑living facilities in the county.

Votes at a glance • Case No. 6577 — Conditional use to add one 16‑bed assisted‑living building to Bethenia Home Care (total 32 beds on site): APPROVED. • Case No. 6577 — Variance to allow a 15‑foot access driveway where 18 feet is required: APPROVED.

Next steps and conditions The board’s oral decision becomes final upon issuance of a written decision (to be issued within 30 days unless extended). The applicants must obtain site development plan approval and Carroll County Health Department sign‑off for well and septic capacity before constructing the new building; no construction authority was granted at the hearing.

The board’s comments noted the driveway configuration, parking count (proposed 17; required 14), septic/percolation testing and proximity to neighboring properties as determinative factors in its approval.