Neighbors urge Howard County Council to pass zoning amendment to block WR Grace pilot plant

The Howard County Council heard more than two hours of public testimony on Feb. 18 centered on CB11 (ZRA‑11‑2025), a zoning regulation amendment that would limit research‑and‑development uses in the Planned Employment Center zoning district and, residents said, prevent a proposed WR Grace pilot facility from operating adjacent to homes in Columbia.

Supporters of CB11—many of them parents and children who live in the nearby Cedar Creek and River Hill neighborhoods—described fear and anxiety about air pollution and long‑term health effects. “I want to play, run, and laugh with my friends without being afraid of what’s in the air,” said Mumbashu, a student who testified early in the hearing. Multiple parents and local doctors said children’s lungs and overall community health would be at risk if the pilot plant moved forward near residences.

The nut of residents’ complaints was proximity and process: speakers said the facility would sit within yards of homes (witnesses cited distances ranging from about 70 feet to several hundred feet), that the company had not adequately communicated with neighbors, and that state monitoring resources are currently constrained. “This decision is about what kind of community we want to live in,” said Jeff Dwyer, a Cedar Creek resident. Several speakers also cited past legal actions involving WR Grace and national reporting on problems at other advanced‑recycling operations as reasons for caution.

Medical testimony emphasized children's vulnerability. A pediatrician who identified herself as Dr. Zan Kazi said pollutants listed in the permit application—volatile organic compounds and nitrogen dioxide among them—are linked in studies to respiratory and neurological harms in children and urged the council to “err on the side of caution.” Other clinicians and residents described individual health problems they believe are aggravated by nearby industrial emissions.

Representatives of WR Grace and at least one current employee testified in favor of the company’s research, arguing the pilot is an important step toward improved recycling at scale and can be conducted safely. A Grace employee who identified herself as a sustainable‑sourcing lead said the proposed process could reduce plastic waste with lower emissions than some existing technologies and urged the council not to block innovation.

The planning staff and the Howard County Citizens Association’s president offered differing tones: the planning board issued a unanimous recommendation supporting the ZRA; a community association leader framed approval as “common sense” to protect residents. A local chemist who reviewed the permit materials disputed some community interpretations of the emissions data, noting that certain modeled emissions fall within state thresholds and recommending state regulatory fixes rather than a site‑specific ban.

No final council vote was taken. Chair (presiding) announced the hearing would continue Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. to accommodate the remaining sign‑ups after council officials calculated they could not finish the night’s list before the hard stop at 11 p.m. The council also confirmed written comments submitted to the record will be considered before any final action.

What happens next: The council will reconvene the public hearing on Feb. 19 and later consider CB11 in a legislative session. If adopted, CB11 would change permitted uses in PEC zoning; if rejected, the WR Grace project would proceed under existing zoning and state permitting processes unless other local restrictions are adopted.

Sources: Testimony at the Howard County Council Feb. 18, 2025 legislative public hearing; names and roles quoted are as stated in testimony.