Howard County zoning hearing for Mount Airy church expansion postponed after technical staff report not available

Hearing Examiner Catherine Taylor postponed a conditional-use hearing for a Mount Airy church expansion after the Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) technical staff report was not available to the hearing examiner or the petitioner.

The postponement applies to a petition concerning property at 1134 Long Corner Road, Mount Airy, where the petitioner, Calvin Van Beek, seeks approval to add a multipurpose building on an existing church campus. Taylor said the DPZ technical staff report — often called a TSR — is required to be issued two weeks prior to the hearing and should have been included in the record.

“Given the fact again that there's been a lot of back and forth, I think it's best at this point to we'll go ahead and just postpone,” Hearing Examiner Catherine Taylor said during the virtual session. She told the petitioner that postponing would avoid the risk that a missing or critical DPZ report might force a denial and that because the hearing was opened on the record, the petitioner would not need to re-advertise a new hearing date.

The petitioner, who identified the property as a church campus previously known as Calvary Baptist Church and now referred to in the hearing as LBC Church, described prior exchanges with DPZ reviewers. “I had a bunch of, red lines from, fire department as well as, other departments,” Calvin Van Beek said, referring to comments consolidated in an incomplete letter from DPZ reviewer Justin Tyler that the petitioner addressed in revised plans.

Taylor outlined two options before deciding to postpone: (1) continue the hearing later after DPZ issues the technical staff report, or (2) proceed with evidence now and hold the record open until DPZ submits its report and then reconvene only if questions remained. She said the TSR is a compilation of department comments — including fire and health department reviews — and is considered part of the record, although the hearing examiner is not bound to accept all of its conclusions.

The board's office staff (referred to in the hearing as Ms. Berg and Kellberg) will investigate whether DPZ issued the technical staff report and where the transmission failed. Taylor said the office would notify the petitioner and schedule a continued hearing date once the status of the TSR is clear. The petitioner expressed flexibility on scheduling and asked whether the required exterior sign could be removed before the continued hearing; Taylor confirmed the advertising requirement covers the first hearing date and the sign may be removed after that date.

Taylor said the record will remain open pending the TSR and any subsequent short procedural hearing if needed. The board's office will follow up with the petitioner about timing and document status.

Votes at a glance: No formal vote was taken; the hearing was continued/postponed by the hearing examiner’s ruling on the record.

What happens next: Board staff will confirm whether DPZ issued the technical staff report, provide the document to the petitioner and examiner when available, and set a continued hearing date. If the TSR raises deficiencies that can be addressed, those issues may be considered at the continued hearing rather than requiring a re-filing or new advertisement.