Howard County hearing held on conditional use for shipping containers at Mount Airy property

Howard County hearing officer Diane Berg heard testimony April 16, 2025 on application BA24023c, an application by Christopher McCoy for a conditional use to retain three shipping containers on his 4.11-acre property in Mount Airy.

McCoy, the petitioner and property owner, said he originally had 14 containers and removed 11 after a zoning violation; he testified the remaining three are used for storage and one houses a rabbitry. "So, yeah, currently, as it stands, I have 3 shipping containers on the property," McCoy said. He told the hearing the containers are within setbacks, screened from adjoining properties and the public road, and located in a largely agricultural area where nearby properties include horse farms and a bulk firewood business.

The hearing officer summarized the applicable conditional-use criteria and technical-staff findings and said she agreed in part with staff. "I've gone through the technical staff report. And I've looked at the conditions for a basic conditional use and I find just as the technical staff did in parts of your testimony tonight that you met those criteria," Berg said. She reviewed specific requirements for container use, including a minimum lot size of 3 acres, screening so containers are not visible from adjoining property lines or public rights-of-way, and compliance with setbacks.

McCoy cited the county code provision he believed applied and referenced a statutory definition of "farm" in a bill he had reviewed. He described the three containers’ contents: one used as a rabbitry containing cages and feed; another holding irrigation supplies and power tools; and a third used mainly for office supplies. He said the containers would not increase traffic or cause noise or odors.

County staff asked McCoy for the total square footage of combined accessory structures on the lot to verify compliance with the RC-zone limit for accessory coverage. McCoy estimated container size as 320 square feet for a single container and noted stacked containers that he described as totaling 640 square feet, but later in the hearing referenced a 600-square-foot figure; Berg directed him to email the exact combined accessory square footage to staffer K. Berg at Kberg@HowardCountyMD.gov before the record closes.

The health department submitted concerns about the location of containers relative to McCoy’s sewage disposal area and existing septic drain fields, and asked for a plot plan showing any new tank installation, container layout and any plumbing. McCoy said he had previously pulled a permit for septic work through Farm and Country (Bill Ingram) in July 2024 but has not yet completed tank replacement or the additional site-level details the health department requested. He testified that there is currently no plumbing or active wastewater discharge from the containers: "There is no plumbing at all... there's no sink, there's no effluent," he said.

Berg recorded directions to the petitioner rather than a final decision: McCoy was asked to provide the precise total square footage of accessory structures (including the containers) by email and to address health-department requirements for septic replacement and associated site plans. The hearing officer concluded the testimony and said a written decision and order will be issued once the requested information is received.

Next steps: the petitioner must email the total accessory square footage to county staff and complete any health-department submittals the department requires. The hearing officer did not issue a decision at the close of testimony; she said a decision and order will follow after staff review of the additional materials.