Jonathan Miller appeals Howard County denial to keep oversized Shady Acres Lane garage

Jonathan Miller, the owner of 10430 Shady Acres Lane in Laurel, Maryland, asked a Howard County hearing authority on Dec. 3 to reverse the Department of Planning and Zoning’s denial of an administrative adjustment that would regularize an existing 689-square-foot detached garage.

Miller testified he purchased the property in 1990 and built the detached garage in 2012 without a permit. He said he operated a masonry business from the site until 2017, moved the business off-site after enforcement action, and later reapplied for a building permit in 2024 after receiving a county letter; DPZ informed him he needed an administrative adjustment because the accessory structure exceeded the 600-square-foot lot-coverage maximum for his zoning category. Miller confirmed under oath that his January administrative-adjustment petition sought an 89-square-foot increase to allow the garage to remain at 689 square feet.

Attorney Mr. Feldman, representing Miller at the hearing, presented two sets of photos and a survey by Paul Sil (Sila Engineering). Feldman argued the lot is irregular and large (the combined parcels total about 4.35 acres), the grade between the garage and the rear of the house drops roughly 12 feet, and a septic system and pond limit practical options for relocating or attaching a garage to the residence. Feldman said those physical constraints, together with the absence of objections from immediate neighbors, meet the five-factor variance-like test the county applies for administrative adjustments.

Miller described the practical need for the existing dimensions: the 26-by-26-foot footprint (which he said yields 689 square feet after siding and trim) accommodates his SuperCab F-250 and tools he uses for work. He told the hearing that trimming approximately 4 feet from the rear to reach 600 square feet would both prevent him from parking his truck and cost an estimated $12,000–$15,000 to reframe and rebuild.

The record included Exhibit 2, a GIS-driven exhibit Feldman summarized to show at least 10 nearby properties within a quarter-mile that have detached accessory structures exceeding 600 square feet (examples cited in testimony ranged from roughly 875 up to 1,800 square feet, with several above 1,000). Feldman told the authority some of those structures likely predate the county’s 2013 regulation and said the presence of larger accessory buildings and the site’s location at the end of a private lane limit public visibility and lessen neighborhood impact.

Neighbor Myron Katzoff (10433 Shady Acres Lane) was sworn and testified he has lived there about 25 years, described Miller as a “very fine gentleman,” said he had no objections to the garage and stated the structure does not alter the essential character of the neighborhood.

During questioning, the hearing officer read the five required findings for an administrative adjustment (unique physical conditions, minimal alteration of neighborhood character, hardships not created by the owner, the adjustment is the minimum necessary, and the property is not in a historic district). Counsel and Miller focused testimony on topography, septic constraints, parcel configuration (three parcels including a private lane), and the presence of other large accessory buildings nearby as evidence that the requested 89-square-foot increase (less than 15% of the 600-square-foot limit) would be appropriate.

No formal vote was taken at the session. The hearing officer closed the record, thanked participants and said a written decision and order would be forthcoming.

What happens next: The hearing authority will issue a written decision addressing whether Miller satisfied the county’s five-factor test for an administrative adjustment and whether the 89-square-foot increase should be permitted.