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Planning commission authorizes chair to finalize Great Valley Propane site plan after sinkhole and stormwater scrutiny
Summary
Carroll County planning commissioners granted the chair authority to approve the final site plan for a proposed Great Valley Propane transfer station in Westminster after engineers described geotechnical testing and a stormwater design that removes infiltration in karst terrain; the action passed 6–0.
Carroll County planning commissioners on April 21 authorized the planning commission chair to approve the final site plan for Great Valley Propane’s proposed transfer station on McGregor Road, after an extended technical review of sinkhole risk, stormwater controls and foundation design.
The concept plan (file S230015) proposes a 30,000‑gallon liquid propane tank, a 3,200‑square‑foot office that will not be open to the public, and limited on‑site truck parking on a 2.49‑acre I‑2 parcel at 1199 McGregor Road. The applicants told the commission the site will be annexed to the city of Westminster to access public water and sewer.
“The tanks will sit on concrete piers and we poured footings down to frost line; we did bearing‑capacity tests and are sealing the area above the tanks,” Pete Podilac, representing the owner and a professional engineer, said. Podilac and the project team described about eight or nine borings plus seismic and electromagnetic pre‑testing and said the design eliminates infiltration by lining micro‑bioretention and using closed conduits to avoid direct groundwater recharge in the karst area.
Commissioners focused questions on several technical points: frequency and location of borings, remediation of existing sinkholes in the corridor, whether ponded stormwater on the site remains, and how heavy the tank foundations will be. The applicants said existing open sinkholes near the road were remediated where located on the property, that the existing stormwater pond will remain as an outfall feature, and that state highway reviewers required the design to manage the 25‑year storm.
Commission staff asked the commission to grant the chair authority to sign off on the final plan unless “substantial changes” are required during final engineering. The motion passed on a roll call vote of 6–0.
Why it matters: The site lies in a karst area, which raises local concern about sinkhole formation and groundwater movement. The project team’s approach — eliminating infiltration, lining bioretention basins and placing tanks on concrete piers — was the primary technical response to those concerns. The county’s approval at concept stage advances the annexation and final engineering steps.
The planning commission’s action does not itself permit construction; final plan approval from staff or the chair and any required permits from county or state agencies will be needed before work begins.
