Silver Spring zoning board approves conditional use for 264 Ridge Hill Road, 4–1

The Silver Spring Township Zoning Hearing Board voted 4–1 on Aug. 28 to approve a conditional‑use application (CU2024‑3) allowing an event venue at 264 Ridge Hill Road, contingent on a package of conditions the applicant agreed to on the record.

The approval followed a continuation of a hearing that began July 24, during which applicant Haroon Rashid, who was sworn previously, answered questions from board members about traffic, lighting, parking and noise mitigation. Solicitor Sean M. Shultz told the board the earlier hearing had completed the required testimony under the MPC and that the board was convening to finish follow‑up questions and collect final statements.

Rashid told the board he expects an average event to draw about 150 people (roughly 50 cars) but asked for a permit maximum to accommodate larger weddings, up to 280 people. The township engineer advised the board that the code requires a 100‑foot setback from agricultural parcels; Aaron Moyer recommended adding screening where gaps exist and noted one minor plan deviation in the applicant’s example plan.

The board and applicant agreed to a set of conditions read on the record by Solicitor Shultz and accepted by Rashid, including limits and operational requirements intended to reduce neighborhood impacts: a cap on site capacity tied to building occupancy (approximately 215 attendees, or current building occupancy plus 20 percent, whichever is less); hard‑surface parking for up to 120 vehicles with an initial allowance for compacted gravel and a requirement that parking be paved within three years; on‑site traffic control for events of 150 attendees or more to prevent off‑site queuing; driveway width accommodating two‑way traffic (minimum 18 feet); placement of dumpsters at the rear of structures; and measures to prevent headlights from shining into homes across the street. Shultz also read conditions that prohibited concerts, barred outdoor music, required that indoor music end by 10 p.m., and required measures to minimize off‑site light pollution.

Rashid said he had spoken with several immediate neighbors and with township police about traffic. He volunteered to install a solar‑powered radar speed sign and to hire on‑site staff or security for larger events. "I want it to be a place where people can relate to," Rashid said, adding he would meet with neighbors to discuss additional mitigations and that he did not want to live next to people who disliked him.

Neighbors Michael and Melissa Strohl, who had objected to the permit, reiterated concerns during their closing statements about noise, patrons wandering into adjacent yards and farm areas, traffic on the narrow residential road and the possibility of decreased property values. "We hope the board will vote against the proposal," Michael Strohl said, while also offering a list of conditions the Strohls said would be necessary if the board approved the use. Rashid responded on the record that he would install screening or a fence if the neighbors requested it and that he would comply with the engineering and operational conditions.

After taking the matter into executive session to draft precise conditions, the board returned and Supervisor David Lenker moved to approve CU2024‑3 "contingent upon the applicant meeting all conditions presented by the engineer and the solicitor this evening." The motion was seconded and carried by a 4–1 vote; Supervisor Laura Brown voted no.

The board’s approval establishes the conditional‑use permission subject to the spelled‑out operational and engineering conditions. The transcript records that the applicant consented on the record to the conditions; the board did not impose additional changes at the vote. Any future compliance or enforcement will follow the township’s zoning enforcement process.

Votes at a glance: motion to approve CU2024‑3 (264 Ridge Hill Road) — mover: Supervisor David R. Lenker; second: Harry D. Kotzmoyer Jr.; vote: Lenker — aye; Kotzmoyer — aye; Chairman Carldon R. Machamer — aye; Nancy Konhaus‑Griffie — aye; Laura Brown — opposed (4–1 outcome).