Walkersville planning commission reviews draft consolidating industrial zoning districts

At a Feb. 25, 2025 meeting, the Walkersville Planning Commission reviewed a draft amendment to the town comprehensive plan that would consolidate three industrial zoning districts into two and reorganize permitted uses.

Susan, the planning staff member who presented the draft, said she "put it in a more final version, and then I also wrote a list of what the changes were," and explained the draft would combine Limited Industrial and Limited Industrial Park into a Light Industrial district while leaving General Industrial as a separate district. She said permitted uses were reorganized into categories—agriculture; commercial and automotive; wholesaling and processing; institutional; and utility—to make the code easier to read.

The draft removes some uses staff considered inappropriate for industrial zones (for example, daycare centers and nursery schools were removed from LI) and moves other uses between districts. Caretaker dwellings would be allowed as an accessory use tied to an existing business, and staff added specific entries such as "agricultural products processing," "feeder grain mill," and agritourism-related uses. On commercial solar, Susan described the county-derived approach the draft borrowed: when generation exceeds a threshold (roughly 200% of on-site consumption) the facility is treated as a commercial solar facility rather than accessory.

Commissioners focused on several practical issues. Susan flagged two existing properties currently zoned LIP—a self-storage facility and the Hercules site—that could become nonconforming if the district is changed. One commissioner said the Hercules property is likely to change hands and the surrounding area is becoming more residential, so "we have an opportunity to put it into a category where it can clean up a little bit to make a better situation in the area." Commissioners discussed whether outdoor storage at such sites should be permitted in LI as an accessory use, allowed by site-plan approval with screening, or require a special exception to add a public-hearing layer.

The commission also debated a proposed text that would require some operations and storage to be within enclosed buildings. Several members cautioned the language should not prohibit ordinary outdoor equipment use (forklifts, brief outdoor work) and that the primary regulatory focus should be on limiting noise and ensuring screening. One commissioner urged that required screening plantings "have to work all year round" and include evergreen elements so screening remains effective in winter.

Other topics staff raised for possible inclusion were cannabis growing and processing facilities (language adapted from Frederick County code), commercial solar, and agritourism-related site impacts such as gravel drives and additional parking. Commissioners compared county-originated numeric thresholds for farm wineries and breweries (minimum acreage and production ratios) and asked staff whether the town should adopt, adapt, or relax those thresholds.

Staff said the draft will be refined and that zoning maps need updating; Susan confirmed she will work on the map and suggested adding revision dates or a revisions list for clarity. She told the commission the draft would likely be forwarded to the town commissioners to introduce as an ordinance and that it would then go through the public hearing process, which would allow further refinement based on property-owner and public comments.

The commission did not take a final vote on the zoning changes at this meeting. The next planning commission meeting is scheduled for March 25; staff indicated the industrial-district draft would be near completion and additional details and map updates will be presented before any ordinance introduction.