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Commission reviews concept plan for VAPCO contractor equipment storage yard near Taneytown
Summary
The Planning & Zoning Commission reviewed a concept site plan for a three-acre contractor equipment storage yard for VAPCO just outside Taneytown. No formal action was required; the project previously received conditional use approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals subject to three conditions.
The Carroll County Planning & Zoning Commission heard a concept site-plan presentation for a three-acre contractor equipment storage yard for VAPCO on a parcel adjacent to the Taneytown municipal boundary. The applicant presented file S240009 and staff said no formal commission action was required at the concept stage; the commission retains the authority to delegate final approval to the chair.
Planning staff said the overall ownership parcel is roughly 78–80 acres but is split by Crouse Mill Road and a railroad. The proposed contractor equipment area is on the parcel’s southwestern portion and would be used to stage finished cooling equipment from VAPCO’s nearby headquarters before off-site shipment. David Becraft, Bureau of Development Review staff, summarized the project and noted concept-level engineering and landscape reviews had been completed.
Project proponents described the storage yard as an unpaved equipment staging area rather than an enclosed building. Jim Mathias (DDC) and Chad Rindoller (VAPCO) told the commission the site would be a gravel equipment parking/staging area; there are no buildings, no proposed lighting and no signage. The Board of Zoning Appeals previously approved the conditional use on Sept. 26, 2023, subject to three conditions: no site lighting, operating hours limited to 7 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday–Friday with occasional Saturday activity at the same hours, and no manufacturing on the storage site.
Staff said landscaping around three sides of the yard and along Kraus/Crouse Mill Road would exceed the county’s landscape manual standards. Stormwater management granted concept approval for an on-site solution that includes three submerged gravel wetlands; staff said a pipe under Kraus Mill Road will need to be upgraded to handle flow from the site. Forest conservation obligations will be met by placing a conservation easement on a separate parcel the applicant owns on the opposite side of Kraus Mill Road.
Commissioners asked about traffic routing and pavement. A staff reply noted trucks would access the site via state routes onto Crouse Mill Road and that the anticipated frequency of truck movements did not trigger a traffic-impact study. A commissioner asked whether vehicle weights would be acceptable on Kraus Mill Road; engineering review flagged no red flags at concept. Commissioners also sought assurance the landscaping would be substantial (not small container stock), and the applicant said they would plant more-than-minimum materials and avoid very small container stock where possible.
No formal vote was taken. Staff and the applicant identified several items that will need detailed study at final plan review, including the pipe upgrade under Kraus Mill Road and documentation for final stormwater and forest conservation compliance. Staff invited questions and noted public comment rules; no members of the public spoke on the item during the meeting.
Planning staff said they do not anticipate major public-facility impacts because the storage yard will not generate significant continuous new public demand. The commission will receive the final site plan for detailed review and possible delegation of final approval per commission practice.
