BZA approves banquet/event facility on Route 482 with limits on events, size and hours

The Carroll County Board of Zoning Appeals approved a conditional-use application and associated variances to operate a banquet/event facility on a roughly 10.25-acre property on Maryland Route 482. Owner Richard Sabat testified he and his wife will manage the facility and that the property previously received similar approval; he said renovations were made to support occasional events and that the couple's intent is to run a small, low-frequency venue.

Sabat said prior private events (including his daughter's wedding) tested the operations and that the barn and adjacent areas can support limited parking on grass and a gravel barnyard for roughly 33 required spaces for a 100-person capacity. "We plan to be there the whole time," Sabat said, describing family oversight and step-in help from adult children for events.

Engineer/planner Marty Hackett testified the historic barn (c.1895) and the site's floodplain and stream crossing make relocation or major access improvements impractical, and that practical difficulty supports the requested distance and access variances. He also said the site's characteristics and screening largely mitigate likely impacts and that detailed traffic and entrance requirements will be handled through the required site-development plan and State Highway Administration access permit.

During questioning, the applicant said wastewater and sanitary arrangements will be finalized with the health department; options include using existing permitted septic, installing a holding tank, expanding the septic field, or, as a last resort, portable sanitary facilities. Sabat asked that any approval explicitly limit the operation to 12 events per year, capped at 100 people, to justify using grass parking rather than a paved lot.

The board discussed the Schultz v. Pritz conditional-use standard and prior approvals for the site; members noted the use is less intense than other permitted or conditional uses in the agricultural district and that practical hardships (historic barn location, stream crossing) make strict adherence to distance and access standards difficult. The BZA approved the conditional use and the three distance variances and one access-drive variance with conditions: events limited to 12 per year, music and events concluding by 10 p.m., a maximum of 100 attendees, and completion of required site development plan reviews and permits. A written decision will follow within 30 days and may be appealed to the circuit court.