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Board of Appeals denies variance for unpermitted detached garage at 10637 Gross Lane in Beltsville
Summary
The Board of Appeals denied a petition from Mahendra and Kavita Bastille to validate an unauthorized detached garage built at 10637 Gross Lane, finding the practical difficulty was self-inflicted because construction proceeded without the necessary permit.
Prince George's County Board of Appeals members on a June 2025 hearing denied a variance request from Mahendra and Kavita Bastille for an unauthorized detached garage at 10637 Gross Lane in Beltsville, saying the record showed the construction proceeded without required permits and therefore the statutory bar against granting relief for self-inflicted difficulties applied.
Vice Chair Johnston moved to deny the petition (case V-22-25); Member Stanton seconded. The roll call recorded the motion as carried 3-0 (Chair Boulware: aye; Vice Chair Johnston: aye; Board Member Stanton: aye).
The petitioners told the board they completed the house in 2020 and later built the detached 26-by-30 garage, explaining they believed the garage had been included with the house permit and that they built it to match the house’s design. Mahendra Bastille said, “we thought it was because of the new house... we thought a garage was already included in there,” and described the garage as storage for classic cars and equipment.
Ruth Conti, a permit expediter working on the petitioners’ behalf, told the board the homeowners were not aware the detached garage had been excluded from the original permit package and said the permit for the garage was not obtained before construction. One neighbor, Kai Gainey, testified the garage is “an asset to the neighborhood” and said neighbors had no objections.
Prince George's County inspection staff were not familiar with this specific project at the outset of the hearing, but the board reiterated the legal standard: a variance may not be granted if the practical difficulty is self-inflicted by the property owner. Chair Boulware read the ordinance criteria and said the board could not overlook a self-inflicted failure to follow the permit process. The chair explained that the county’s Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) and the Office of Law would have jurisdiction to pursue compliance or remedies after the board’s decision.
Board members noted the petitioners’ testimony and the neighborhood support but concluded the board lacked statutory authority to grant the variance because the work was done without required permits. The board denied V-22-25; staff will send the petitioners written notice of the decision and next steps, including information about appeals and DPIE enforcement processes.
Votes at a glance: Motion to deny V-22-25 (unauthorized detached garage at 10637 Gross Lane) — carried 3-0 (Vice Chair Johnston: moved; Member Stanton: second).
