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Committee hears six land-use variance bills, adopts findings of fact and schedules votes
Summary
The Land Use and Transportation Committee heard six smaller land-use bills (including two companion parking-lot variance bills and several conversion requests and a banquet-hall conditional use). Law and planning recommended minor drafting fixes and the committee adopted findings of fact; final votes were held for the next committee meeting once amendments are drafted.
The committee handled a set of mainly parcel-specific zoning bills before the larger housing package. Councilman Jermaine Jones described bills 25-0055 and 25-0056 (parking-lot conditional uses on Merritt/Mercer Street) as part of a Johnson Square revitalization to provide parking for rehabilitated homes. Planning and the law department recommended minor amendments (law said drafting errors omitted variance language), and the planning commission and DHCD supported the projects. The committee adopted findings of fact that the lot irregularities justified variances and agreed to bring the bills back with law-drafted corrections for a vote at the next committee meeting.
Councilmember Zach Blanchard presented council bill 20-0571 (conversion of a single-family unit into two dwelling units at 15 East West Street). Law noted that an ordinance changing lot-size requirements will take effect in early December, likely making the variance unnecessary; the committee adopted findings that the variance would probably not be required at enactment and held the vote to the next meeting.
An applicant (Biff Browning) introduced council bill 20-0573 to recognize an existing events/banquet use at 1100 Wicomico Street; planning, law and DHCD recommended approval and the committee will hold the final vote until the sponsor is present. The committee briefly paused for technical issues but completed agency reports and agreed to resume final votes when drafting corrections are available.
All of the smaller bills discussed were placed on the docket for a formal vote at the next committee hearing after law department amendments are drafted. The committee instructed staff to record findings of fact and compile agency reports for the full council.
