Carroll County BZA approves contractor equipment storage yard at 1834 West Liberty Road

The Carroll County Board of Zoning Appeals voted to approve a conditional use and four variances for a contractor equipment storage yard on property owned by Ricky Colson Jr. at 1834 West Liberty Road in Westminster.

Applicant attorney Kelly Schafer Miller told the board the request is for a contractor's equipment storage facility and associated variances: two distance variances to adjacent homes, an area variance increasing the permitted yard from 1.00 acre to 1.12 acres, and an access-drive width variance. "This conditional use request is . . . consistent with the Carroll County Master Plan as amended in 2019," Miller said, citing a March 3 staff memorandum finding consistency with county plans.

Ricky Colson Jr., who said he purchased the 17.72-acre property in 2021 and lives on the site, described two businesses that will use the yard: Colson's Septic Service (two employees, typical hours about 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m., with emergency calls about twice a week) and Big Rick's Landscaping and Tree Service (about seven employees, roughly 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.). He told the board trucks and trailers (he estimated about 12 vehicles total across both businesses) will be parked either inside an existing pole building or in the proposed gravel yard, and that there is no on-site retail.

Planner and witness Randy Bechtel of BPR LLC, accepted as an expert in land use planning and design, described site constraints he said justify the variances: the parcel's panhandle access to West Liberty Road, a steep slope and a 100-year floodplain along the northwest boundary, the location and size of an existing roughly 10,000-square-foot pole building, and stormwater infrastructure installed by a previous owner. Bechtel summarized the variance need as a combination of building orientation and maneuverability: "If you were there on-site . . . the shape of the property is kinda unique," he said, and concluded the variances meet the county's legal standards and would not threaten public safety.

Board members questioned access and past land use. Counsel and the applicant clarified that the property has a 20-foot-wide fee-simple strip down to Liberty Road and that some materials located in an area subject to a prior forest conservation declaration of intent must be relocated; Bechtel said the applicant had received a violation notice and that the materials must be moved to comply with the declaration. Counsel told the board that Colson will still be required to complete a site plan review and comply with technical forest conservation and stormwater requirements during that process.

After closing the record and hearing summations, a board member moved to approve the conditional use and the four variances; the motion was seconded and the chair announced, "Motion carries." The board made an oral decision and stated the written decision will be issued within 30 days; the transcript notes the decision may be appealed to the Circuit Court for Carroll County according to applicable procedure.

Next steps: the applicant must complete county site-plan and permitting processes, address forest conservation and any outstanding technical comments, and await the board's written decision, which triggers the 30-day appeal period.