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Residents urge county to reject plan to trade many small signs for larger, illuminated billboards
Summary
During a public hearing April 16, residents from the Finburg/Hampstead corridors urged Carroll County commissioners to reject proposed Chapter 158 amendments that would let billboard owners consolidate multiple nonconforming signs into fewer, much larger panels (up to 672 sq ft per side and 50 ft tall). The board kept the record open for 10 calendar days.
Carroll County commissioners heard sustained public opposition on April 16 to proposed zoning changes that would permit consolidation and, in some zones, digitization of nonconforming off‑premise signs (billboards).
County staff and the county attorney opened the public hearing and staff described the proposal as a response to a citizen request that the Planning & Zoning Commission reviewed. The proposed text revisions to Chapter 158 would allow owners of multiple nonconforming off‑premise signs on the same or adjacent parcels in commercial and industrial zoning districts to consolidate them into a single new sign. The rules being proposed would limit a consolidated panel to the lesser of the total square footage of existing signs or 672 square feet per side, cap height at 50 feet, and require the new sign to be within 25 feet of one of the signs being removed. Staff said the county’s registry currently lists 121 registered nonconforming off‑premise…
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