St. Mark's Episcopal Church seeks county approval to demolish and rebuild Highland parish hall

St. Mark's Episcopal Church petitioners told a Howard County hearing examiner on Jan. 22, 2025, they seek a conditional use to demolish the existing 1955 parish hall at 12700 Hall Shop Road in Highland and construct a new parish hall and related spaces on the roughly 3.5-acre church property bounded by Maryland Route 216 and Hall Shop Road.

The petitioners' witnesses said the proposed first-floor parish hall footprint is about 8,050 square feet, with the overall plan listing 14,016 square feet when the existing sanctuary and lower level are included. The petitioners' revised conditional-use site plan lists a proposed lot coverage of 10,455 square feet. Dan Sweeney, the project's civil engineer, told the hearing examiner that the property will provide 38 parking spaces (the county parking requirement listed on the plan is 21 spaces) and that the new parish hall's measured roof midpoint would be about 21 feet — broadly consistent with the county's bulk limits.

The petitioners emphasized the project's programmatic needs and history. Richard Roca, chair of St. Mark's building committee, described the congregation's local history and the parish's community uses, saying the congregation traces its name in Highland to 1857 and…