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Commission asks city attorney and staff to study group‑housing definitions after Mount Zion veterans proposal raises zoning questions
Summary
After extended public comment and legal review, the Planning Commission voted to ask the city attorney and planning staff to reconcile local definitions of "community residential facility" with state group‑home rules before recommending code changes to allow larger group housing in the RO district.
The Havre de Grace Planning Commission voted on Feb. 20 to ask the Planning Department and the city attorney to re‑examine local code language about community residential facilities and to compare it with Maryland state group‑home definitions before advancing any proposed ordinance changes.
Commissioners and city counsel had spent more than an hour discussing whether a proposed use for Mount Zion property — described by proponents as transitional housing for veterans — could be allowed in the city’s RO (residential‑office) zone without broader changes to zoning. Planning department staff and the city attorney advised that state definitions for small and large group homes (small homes 4–8 residents are treated as single‑family; larger homes may be treated as multifamily) complicate a simple local definition and could have unintended consequences if the RO district were opened to larger group homes.
Commission discussion focused on limiting the commission’s review to clarifying and reconciling the city’s existing “community residential facility” definition with state law, rather than drafting broad new categories (dormitory, boarding home, hospice, etc.). Commissioners said a staff study and review of how nearby jurisdictions handle similar uses would be needed, and they requested clearer information from the interested parties (Mount Zion representatives and CHAPS) about how they expect to be licensed and regulated.
The commission then approved a motion asking the planning department and city attorney to review and return with recommended, narrowly framed definitions and guidance for any rezoning or overlay district. The motion carried (roll call recorded yes votes by Harry Miller, Chip Place, Ed Girono, and Chair Volney Ford). The chair said he would draft and transmit a letter to mayor and council summarizing the commission’s request.
Public comment at the meeting included residents who opposed locating the proposed facility adjacent to houses and residents and veterans who urged the commission and council to find a way to proceed. Speakers included Councilwoman Carrie Parsons (who provided the ordinance materials to the city attorney), neighborhood residents, and representatives from Mount Zion, who said they had sought a buyer that would operate transitional housing for veterans.
