The Baltimore City Council Land Use and Transportation Committee considered a group of largely routine land‑use bills before taking up the Housing Options and Opportunity Act.

Councilman Jermaine Jones introduced two companion bills (25‑55 and 25‑56) to allow parking‑lot conditional uses and variances on Merrill Street and across the street on Miro Street to support the Rebuild Metro block rehabilitation project. Planning and DHCD recommended approval with small technical amendments; the law department approved form but noted drafting omissions and DLR was asked to prepare corrections. The committee adopted findings of fact that the irregular lot configuration justified the variances and will bring the bills forward as recommendations to the full council at the next meeting.

Councilman Zach Blanchard presented a lot‑area variance for a two‑unit conversion at 15 East West Street; planning and law staff stated that lot‑area/parking variances would likely not be required by the time the bill took effect because of recently passed ordinances changing bulk and parking rules, and the committee moved findings of fact and will hold the final vote for the next hearing.

A conditional‑use request to formalize an existing banquet/event space (Council Bill 25‑073) was heard from the applicant, who said the use has operated under one‑day permits; law and planning approved for form and substance, and the committee held the final vote pending sponsor presence on the record.

Other conversion bills for single‑family to two‑ or four‑unit conversions were similarly discussed; planning generally recommended approval and the committee repeatedly noted that changes to the city’s lot‑size, bulk and parking ordinances will alleviate the need for several variances, allowing the committee to find the variance standards satisfied.

Procedural notes: the law department's reports repeatedly identified small drafting errors in variance language; the Department of Legislative Reference was asked to prepare amendments in time for the next committee meeting. Several items were explicitly placed on the agenda to be recommended favorable to the full council at the committee’s next meeting.