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Caroline County advances three zoning bills including map corrections tied to Dayspring project
Summary
County Attorney Stuart Barrow introduced three zoning-related legislative bills Feb. 10 that the board advanced on schedule: administrative zoning map corrections, allowing mini-storage by special exception in village centers, and reestablishing an R-3 district with townhouse rules to resolve Dayspring mapping issues.
Caroline County commissioners on Feb. 10 advanced three zoning-related legislative bills intended to correct mapping errors and update local zoning rules tied to the Dayspring townhouse project and other village areas.
County Attorney Stuart Barrow told the board legislative bill 2026-001 would "provide an administrative procedure for the planning director to correct minor, technical, or clerical errors in the zoning maps of Caroline County." Barrow said the change responds to discrepancies uncovered when paper mylar zoning maps were digitized and a Dayspring parcel was found to be misrepresented.
Why it matters: Barrow and planning staff described the bills as technical fixes to align digital maps with previously adopted zoning, and as tools to allow village-scale business solutions where appropriate. The county scheduled the notice of public hearing and the usual second- and third-reading timeline; if enacted on the schedule Barrow outlined, the measures would take effect April 11.
Key provisions and debate: - Legislative bill 2026-001 (Zoning Map Corrections) would add a new section to Chapter 175 allowing the planning director to correct minor mapping errors administratively. Planning staff said only the Dayspring parcel prompted the effort so far; a full county-wide audit has not been completed. - Legislative bill 2026-002 would amend the County Table of Use Regulations to permit warehouse/mini-storage facilities in Village Center (VC) districts by special use exception, with supplementary criteria (setbacks, buffering) developed with the planning commission to reduce neighborhood impacts. Staff noted septic/perk limitations in many villages could still prevent certain developments. - Legislative bill 2026-003 would reestablish an R-3 multiple-family residential district and restore townhouse supplementary regulations inadvertently removed during the countywide rezoning in 2014; the bill updates references to replace "county engineer" with the department director where appropriate.
Actions taken: The board accepted the first reading of bill 2026-001 and moved bills 2026-002 and 2026-003 to second reading on the schedule Barrow recommended. Planning staff indicated the bills had positive recommendations from the planning commission.
Next steps: Notices of public hearing will be published and second readings scheduled (the board set a public hearing schedule beginning with a publication on Feb. 14 and a second reading/public hearing on Feb. 17); the board will consider public comment and potential amendments at subsequent readings.
Provenance: Introduction and staff explanation (Stuart Barrow) and the boardmotions appear in the meeting record beginning with Barrowintroducing the zoning map corrections (LEG 2026-001) and concluding with votes to move bills 2026-002 and 2026-003 to second reading. The transcript contains the county attorneypresentation and the subsequent motions and votes.
