Sykesville board OKs conditional warehouse use at downtown Springfield Avenue property

The Sykesville Board of Zoning Appeals on Nov. 19 approved a conditional-use request permitting limited warehouse operations at 7452 Springfield Avenue, the former Dunright warehouse, while requiring a new structural analysis, a revised site plan and Historic District Commission review before operations begin.

Town staff and commission members framed the decision as a compromise between preserving downtown character and returning a vacant building to productive use. Staff noted the property sits in the business-local zone and in the historic district and that a warehouse use could be consistent with town code provided conditions are met to limit traffic, noise and other impacts.

Applicant Aaron Warren, sworn to testify at the hearing, said the plan envisions retail in the street-front portion of the first floor and storage in the rear and portions of the second floor, arguing that mixed retail-and-storage use is the most economically viable…