Carroll County BZA approves American Fleet expansion, grants variance to reduce highway setback

The Carroll County Board of Zoning Appeals on record approved a modification of an existing conditional use and a distance variance for American Fleet Inc., allowing the company to expand indoor storage at 633 Stone Chapel Road in Westminster and to operate with a reduced setback from the adjacent public highway.

The decision, announced at the close of a public hearing, modifies the prior conditional-use approval in BZA case 6473 and grants a distance-variance allowance tied to the site’s classification as a junkyard under county code. The applicant had described the request as an internal, indoor expansion for parts storage; the board’s oral motion approved a distance variance described in the motion as 120 feet from the public highway, and the written decision will be issued within 30 days.

Why it matters: The request clears the way for American Fleet to lease adjacent interior space to relieve cramped conditions in its existing building while remaining in the county’s I-2 Heavy Industrial District. Neighbors and board members heard that the company’s operations are entirely indoors and that expansion is intended to improve workflow and safety, not to increase public traffic or outdoor storage.

What the board heard and decided Vladimir Besser, owner of American Fleet, testified that the company processes vehicles indoors and ships parts wholesale; “We processed over 500 vehicles for Ukraine and Israel at the moment,” he told the board. He said the expansion would be used for indoor racking and storage only and that “nobody can see it” from the road. Attorney representing the applicant (identified in the record as Mr. Bowersox) told the board the use is not new and that the application seeks only to modify conditions 6 and 7 of the prior BZA approval to permit the additional leased interior space.

Planning and zoning staff memos were entered into the record. The Bureau of Comprehensive Planning found the application consistent with the Carroll County Master Plan (2019) and related functional plans; a simplified site plan for the expansion was noted to be in review (file referenced in the record). The zoning administrator’s office had previously approved an administrative adjustment (ZA case referenced in the file) in 2023 reducing the setback to about 200 feet; the current request would reduce the specific junkyard setback from the 300-foot standard in county code to roughly 124–127 feet as measured on the applicant’s exhibits, with the board’s motion later stating a 120-foot variance for the record.

Board members who spoke during deliberations said they saw no adverse public impacts because the activity will remain indoors and not visible from the road. Board member remarks included statements that the operation is consistent with uses in the I-2 district, that the situation is an example of a use not neatly described by existing zoning categories, and that allowing the indoor expansion would improve safety and operational efficiency.

Formal action and appeal rights The board’s oral motion approved the modification of the conditional use (originally approved in BZA case 6473) and granted a distance variance related to the junkyard setback; the board’s chair announced that a written decision will follow within 30 days and explained that the decision may be appealed by filing a petition for judicial review with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Carroll County in accordance with the Maryland Rules of Procedure (chapter 200, title 7 as referenced in the hearing).

Context and background The site is in Carroll County’s Westminster Growth Area, within the county’s I-2 Heavy Industrial District. The property has an industrial history dating to the 1960s, and agency comments in the file noted the site is near a FEMA flood plain, a rural legacy area and a forest conservation boundary. The record includes prior BZA case 6473 (October 2023) and an administrative zoning decision (ZA 2136 / ZA2136) dated November 30, 2023, which previously reduced the setback to approximately 200 feet.

What the approval does not change Testimony and exhibits introduced at the hearing repeatedly stated the approval authorizes indoor storage and racking in leased unit K inside the existing building complex; witnesses and staff said there would be no outdoor storage, no increase in retail customer visits, no new construction, and no change in traffic driven by public customers. A building permit for the change-of-use of the leased suite was noted in the file as required by permits staff and remains a separate regulatory step.

The board’s written decision will contain the findings and any conditions; until that decision is issued, the precise effective terms (including the exact measured setback the written order will adopt) are subject to the forthcoming written order and any administrative corrections it may contain.