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 that the church serves roughly 100 families. "The Sunday school is held in the basement of the parish hall, and that has proven to be difficult because of the condition of the hall," Roca said, explaining the congregation's motivation for replacement.

Architectural witness John McBeath said design work is in the development phase and that the current plan would demolish the cinderblock parish hall to the right of the historic sanctuary, retain and modify the 1991 addition attached to the sanctuary, and preserve the church building itself. McBeath said the team intentionally kept rooflines and exterior materials complementary so the historic sanctuary remains the site's visual focal point.

The hearing examiner repeatedly pressed petitioners' witnesses about conflicting representations in earlier filings and advisory comments from the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and county staff. At points, the examiner cited differences between initial materials and testimony; "I am exceedingly confused," the hearing examiner said, noting earlier documents and the staff report had characterized the work as an enlargement or renovation rather than the demolition and replacement portrayed at the hearing.

Sweeney and other witnesses addressed those discrepancies, saying the petitioner submitted an October 2024 revised conditional use plan that superseded an earlier July 2024 plan and that technical staff's report was based on the October resubmission. Sweeney also testified that the project team reduced certain roof pitches and eliminated an overhang previously shown within a 10-foot setback from the adjacent graveyard after HPC feedback.

Concerns about graves and archaeological sensitivity were raised and addressed on the record. McBeath and Sweeney said the petitioners performed ground-penetrating radar work followed by test digs on two anomalies; both test excavations did not reveal human remains. "We did a second ground penetrating radar, which found two anomalies which we went and did digs — neither one of them was a grave," McBeath said. Petitioners said construction would avoid encroaching into the 10-foot graveyard setback and that landscaping and buffering will be added under the site plan review to mitigate visual impacts.

The witnesses also responded to detailed plan questions about building area accounting. The petitioners' materials list a combined level-1 and basement building area of 14,016 square feet; at the hearing team members clarified that the new parish hall's first-floor footprint is approximately 8,050 square feet and that the remainder of the 14,016 figure includes the existing sanctuary and lower-level areas retained or modified as part of the project. The hearing paused once for counsel and staff to reconcile plan figures.

On site design and traffic, Sweeney said the existing driveway and access approved under a prior site plan (STP 9064) will remain unchanged and that safe sight distances established under that approval continue to apply. He also told the examiner the proposed lot coverage and building height conform to the RR-zone bulk regulations cited in the staff report and that the property is larger than the county's three-acre minimum that commonly supports conditional-use findings for religious facilities.

After questions from the examiner and confirming the record included the October 2024 revised conditional-use plan and HPC advisory comments, the evidentiary portion of the hearing was closed. The hearing examiner said a written decision and order would follow.

The hearing record shows the petitioner plans to retain the historic sanctuary while replacing the parish hall; the record will be the basis for the examiner's forthcoming decision.