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Council amends home-occupation zoning after lengthy debate, keeps ordinance moving forward
Summary
After extended line‑by‑line debate and multiple motions, the council adopted several amendments to Ordinance O‑26‑7 (home occupations), clarifying permit requirements, restricting visible sales of regulated items, and preserving a permit path for small home-based businesses; the attorney said the final amended text will be formalized after the meeting.
The Chesapeake Beach Town Council spent much of the meeting debating and amending Ordinance O‑26‑7, the package of changes that would reinstate and modernize the town's rules for home-based businesses.
Councilors moved, amended and voted on dozens of detailed edits — from whether a zoning permit or a distinct use permit is required to how the code treats sales on the premises and whether controlled items should be excluded. Planning staff (Speaker 13) said the draft was intended as a 90‑day solution to reinstate home-occupation rules and to reflect input from recent work sessions.
Several amendments passed. The council clarified that a permit will be required for home occupations and added language to limit the display or sale of regulated products visible from outside a dwelling. Other motions — including proposals that would have broadly barred businesses involving controlled substances or consumables — failed. “This is the people who are making crafts and doing stuff in their house in a small portion,” Councilor Jamie (Speaker 7) said in defense of reinstating home-occupation rules that accommodate cottage and online sellers.
Council discussion touched repeatedly on the RV1/RV2 residential classifications — road widths and traffic generation were cited by the planning administrator (Speaker 13) as a reason to treat some subdistricts differently — and several members argued for clearer consistency between the ordinance text and the comprehensive plan.
After passage of multiple amendments the town attorney said the final amended ordinance would not be available for signatures this evening and the administration will produce the finalized text for formalization. The council’s actions tonight leave O‑26‑7 amended on the record and moving forward for final drafting and ministerial completion.
What happens next: Staff and the town attorney will prepare the consolidated ordinance text that reflects the amendments passed tonight; the town will circulate the revised document and the council will finalize signatures when the clean document is ready.
