Havre de Grace council tables proposed zoning change for group housing after hours of public comment

The Havre de Grace City Council on Jan. 21, 2025 voted 6‑0 to table Ordinance 11‑68, a proposed zoning change to allow “group housing” in parts of the city, after more than two hours of public comment on the plan to convert the former Mount Zion Baptist Church at 550 Lewis Street into transitional housing for veterans.

The ordinance, introduced for a second reading earlier in the meeting, would have amended Chapter 205 of the city code to permit group‑living arrangements in areas where they are not now allowed. Councilmember Robertson moved to table the ordinance and send it back to the planning commission; Councilmember Boyer seconded. The motion carried 6‑0.

Supporters and opponents voiced sharply different views during the public comment period. Jack Burkerage, chief executive officer of Communities Helping Empower Patriots (CHEP), which proposed the project, appealed to council members and residents to back the plan and to consider the veterans the group serves. “We promised you that there would be nobody on the registry in that building,” Burkerage said, describing commitments CHEP has made about resident screening and supports.

Residents living near the proposed church site said the location poses traffic and safety concerns, and they urged council to reject or further limit the ordinance. Carrie Parsons, who said she researched state definitions and local codes, asked the council to disapprove Ordinance 11‑68, citing worries about how the program would be monitored and how property owners might sublet trailers or rent rooms as quasi‑boarding houses. “I greatly appreciate you. If you could kindly disapprove ordinance 11‑68,” Parsons told the council.

Other opponents cited the proximity of Havre de Grace Elementary School and said existing downtown residents and homeowners fear a decline in property values. Stephanie Lyon said the proposal appeared not to be fully developed and raised questions about parking, kitchen and shower facilities and ongoing operations. “There were no answers and just begged more and more questions,” Lyon said.

Several speakers supported CHEP’s proposal, saying transitional housing closer to support services would help veterans. Kathleen Lee, an American Legion member, said she observed veterans in the community who would benefit from the facility and called the building “a godsend” for local veterans. Brian Wainwright, a nonprofit director who works with people experiencing homelessness, urged council to separate fear from data and to support the program as part of a broader county housing gap response.

City Attorney April (first name not given) told the council the ordinance’s language conflicted with state definitions and procedures. “If you have a true group home that’s defined under COMAR, you cannot have a conditional use permit,” she said, citing Maryland’s administrative code and noting that a small group home (licensed under state law and housing four to nine people) is permitted in residential zones and cannot be conditionally prohibited by local ordinance.

Councilmembers and the planning commission previously discussed amending the ordinance to narrow its scope to veterans and first‑responders; Councilmember Robertson said the planning commission’s second review added language aimed at limiting uses. The council’s tabling motion directs the planning commission to refine definitions and the ordinance’s scope before the council considers it again.

The vote to table was unanimous. Council President Ringstalker said the council had heard many perspectives and thanked residents for civility during the long public comment period. The planning commission will reexamine definitions, licensing expectations, and the conditional‑use language and return a revised draft to council.

The council did not take a final vote on whether CHEP may use the Mount Zion property; the tabling action means the ordinance will not advance until the planning commission submits revised language and the council places it back on an agenda.

Officials and community members who spoke at the meeting said they expect further hearings and planning‑commission work before any developer or operator could apply for site approvals or certificates of occupancy. The council’s action preserves the current zoning while the city clarifies how group housing, state licensing and local enforcement will intersect.

For now, the Mount Zion property’s future remains unresolved pending revised ordinance language and planning commission review.