Planning commission backs recommendation for mushroom‑growing operation at 166 Bowery Street

Justin Tippen and partner Cory Hyman asked the Prosper Planning Commission to recommend a special exception allowing an indoor mushroom‑growing facility at 166 Bowery Street. Tippen said the building already contains six rental units upstairs and a large, unused basement that the applicants propose to convert for indoor cultivation without exterior structural changes.

"We'd like to try to get a special exception for a property that's located at 166 Bowery Street," Tippen said, adding that any build‑out would be confined to the existing interior and that the building is sprinkled and has rear parking. Hyman, who identified himself as a mushroom grower and instructor, said the operation in Garrett County shows the model works and that the Frostburg location would allow expanded production and local sales.

Hyman outlined production and market plans, saying the partners currently sell at farmers markets and to local restaurants and expect to expand from current weekly volumes toward several hundred pounds per week as demand grows. He listed varieties they plan to grow (oyster, chestnut and lion's mane among them) and said the indoor facility would permit year‑round production. "We will be growing the varieties that are really suited for our area," Hyman said.

Commissioners probed site logistics and operational details. Applicants said deliveries would be by van or pickup during daytime business hours, that initial staffing would be three to four people (including the owners), and that they expect at least seven daily‑available parking spaces behind the building. On technical questions, Hyman described substrate and humidity controls: substrates are primarily wood‑based (hardwood pellets, shavings, soy hulls, millet/oats), and production areas would use sealed, insulated tents and routine cleaning with water and white vinegar. He said spent substrate can be reused as a soil amendment and that general waste would go to an on‑site dumpster or be removed in a dump trailer for recycling or distribution to local gardening users.

After questions and discussion about parking and compatibility with surrounding uses, the chair moved that the commission forward a favorable recommendation to the Board of Zoning Appeals for the special‑exception request. The commission indicated its approval and the recommendation was forwarded for BOZA review. No formal BOZA action occurred at the meeting; the item will proceed to that next review step.

The commission also discussed whether the proposal would affect a nearby roundabout right‑of‑way; a commissioner noted the city has already acquired necessary property for the roundabout and did not expect an impact from the proposed operation.

Next steps: the application will go to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a formal hearing and decision.