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Commission splits on Old South Bel Air rezoning: 3.2 acres rezoned commercial, 17 acres for self‑storage rejected
Summary
The commission recommended rezoning about 3.2 acres on Old South Bel Air Road to Community Commercial with a 50-foot buffer; the companion request to rezone the remaining ~17 acres to S‑1 for a self‑storage facility was recommended for disapproval after public objections about noise, traffic and groundwater.
The Planning Commission on Dec. 18 considered linked rezoning applications for 113 and 127 South Old Bel Air Road and took opposite actions on two adjacent requests.
Staff presented a two-part proposal. The first application sought to rezone approximately 3.2 acres along Columbia Road from R-1 (single-family) to CC (Community Commercial) for a small commercial development. Planning staff recommended approval if the applicant increased the buffer against neighboring residences to 50 feet — larger than typical county requirements. Bill Quarter, the project engineer representing Singh Business Incorporated, told the commission the proposed site plan already met the recommended 50-foot buffer once a minor parking adjustment removed a tentative space. Commissioner (speaker 2) moved to recommend approval subject to the 50-foot buffer and other staff conditions; the motion carried.
The second application asked to rezone approximately 17 acres of the same parcels to S-1 for a proposed self-service storage facility. Staff recommended disapproval because S-1 storage is treated as an industrial use in county code, and the site borders multiple residential properties; neighbors and multiple speakers at the hearing raised concerns about visual character, noise, lighting, property values and environmental impacts. One resident disputed placing an industrial-style storage facility directly adjacent to a residential neighborhood. Commissioners voted to recommend disapproval.
What’s next: The Planning Commission’s recommendations — approval for the small CC rezoning (with conditions) and disapproval for the 17‑acre S-1 request — will go to the Board of Commissioners for a final vote on Jan. 6, 2026.
