Petitioner seeks two-family designation for Clarksville Pike rental; hearing officer signals approval

Michael Camberiate asked a Howard County zoning hearing to reclassify his property at 13973 Clarksville Pike from an accessory apartment to a two-family dwelling so he can obtain a different rental license for the main house while keeping the apartment licensed.

Camberiate told the hearing he has licensed the accessory apartment above his garage for roughly 30 to 40 years and continued to renew that license after moving out of the principal house in 2018. He said county licensing staff advised him that converting the accessory apartment to a two-family license would require conditional-use approval from the zoning authority rather than immediate revocation of the tenant's occupancy.

Why it matters: Camberiate said the apartment houses long-term tenants who would face hardship if forced to relocate. He described the request as administrative rather than physical, saying there are no exterior changes, no new buildings or roads, and that the property is compatible in scale and character with nearby homes.

Camberiate described the application steps he followed: posting pre-submission signs, notifying neighbors, uploading documents to the county's file system (he says he was an early user), and providing surveys and septic/well-distance information to demonstrate compliance with zoning requirements. He said the lot is a single building on an approximately three-acre parcel and cited the county Code's definition of a two-family dwelling in the RR District as governing the request.

During his testimony Camberiate recounted an initial inquiry from environmental-health staffer Zach Silfast, who raised whether a new septic system would be required; Camberiate said that was a misreading of the petition and that the staffer amended his concern after clarification. He also said updating deeded lot lines and surveying took roughly 14 months and cost about $10,000.

The hearing officer reviewed the exhibits Camberiate submitted, including a one-page summary and copies of rental-license paperwork, and confirmed certified advertising in the Howard County Times and the Baltimore Sun and that affidavits of posting were filed. The chair and Camberiate clarified that one printed license in the packet referred to Camberiate's current residence (13971 Clarksville Pike) while the pending license for the main house at issue is being held by county licensing pending the zoning outcome; the chair asked staff to correct an apparent historic-district flag on one license record.

Outcome and next steps: The hearing officer said they plan to approve the conditional-use request but reiterated that approval is not final until a written decision is issued. The officer said a written order will be prepared and provided to Camberiate by county staff (Miss Burke) and estimated issuance within 30 days.

Details, sources and unresolved items: Camberiate identified county licensing staff named Holly as the person who guided him through inspections and licensing paperwork; the record contains inconsistent renderings of her surname. The transcript also refers to the county planning/zoning office with the acronyms "DPC" and "DPZ" in different places; the article uses "department staff" when the record does not consistently name the office. The petition and exhibits remain in the record and the hearing closed with no public opposition present.

The hearing closed without a formal vote on the record; the matter will be final if the written decision issues as indicated.