Rezoning

WASHINGTON COUNTY andrews@herald-mail.com A state appellate court has upheld the Washington County Commissioners' rezoning of a Marsh Pike parcel more than two years ago. In a decision filed Sept. 29, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals ruled that a Washington County circuit judge correctly sided with the commissioners. On March 13, 2003, the commissioners gave developer Paul Crampton Jr. approval for a planned unit development on 97 acres near where Marsh Pike meets Leitersburg Pike.

H.B. Mellott Estates Inc. has asked a Washington County Circuit judge to remove conditions imposed by the Washington County Commissioners on a 79-acre rezoning the company needs to expand its Beaver Creek quarry. The conditions include putting a fence around the property, which would duplicate existing state regulatory requirements, Bronwyn Weaver, a Mellott spokeswoman, said Monday. County Commissioner Bert L. Iseminger said he does not care whether the conditions and regulations come from the county or the state as long as the company abides by them.

daniels@herald-mail.com Hagerstown City Council voted 3-2 Tuesday night to advertise an ordinance rezoning 28 acres of land off Howell Road, which could lead to the construction of as many as 243 houses at the property known as part of the Harrison tract. Strategic Resources LLC of Highland, Md., wants the land's zoning changed from industrial to residential. The company has not submitted formal development plans, but city information indicates it would like to build as many as 243 town houses.

By STEVEN T. DENNIS Staff Writer The battle over rezoning the Artz farm on Rench Road south of Hagerstown continued Monday night as more than 100 residents showed up at a second public hearing before Washington County Commissioners and the Washington County Planning Commission. Artz consultant Fred J. Papa said the 611.5-acre rezoning, which would allow a variety of residential, industrial and commercial uses on the farm, would fit in with the surrounding neighborhood.

Opponents of a decision to rezone land that H.B. Mellott Estates Inc. needs to expand have gone to court to block the move. Henry Heaton II, Roger Worthington and Neil A. Wright, who live near the mining company, petitioned a Washington County Circuit Court judge on Friday to block the rezoning. All three men are members of the Friends of Beaver Creek, a group that was formed in 1985 in an unsuccessful effort to block expansion of the quarry on its east side. The Washington County Commissioners voted 3-2 last month to rezone 79 acres in the northeast corner of the Md. 66-Interstate 70 interchange.

The Washington County Planning Commission recommended Monday night that the County Commissioners reject a proposal to rezone 23 acres in the Pleasant Valley area that would make room for 34 homes. The proposed rezoning would change the designation of the land on Keep Tryst Road at U.S. 340 from business general to residential suburban. The Planning Commission voted 4-0 on the action, saying they didn't think a residential suburban designation was the appropriate classification for the land.

  Public hearing - Y2K Compliance Plan. - Proposed rezoning, Triad Properties, for 36.7 acres along the south side of Mount Aetna Road east of Robinwood Drive from agricultural to residential via annexation. - Proposed rezoning, ATW Enterprises, the south side of Edgewood Drive from residential to commercial. - Proposed rezoning MKS Business Park lots 34 and 35, northeast quadrant of intersection of Eastern Boulevard and Conrad Court from residential to commercial.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The Antrim Township Supervisors on Tuesday learned about a proposal to rezone a property split by railroad tracks on Hykes Road near Jerr-Dan Corp. Half of the 80-acre tract is zoned industrial, and the remainder is zoned medium-density residential. WCN Properties has yet to file an application but plans to ask that the residential section be rezoned industrial. "They would like to take advantage of the rail spur," Township Zoning Officer Angela Garland said.

scottb@herald-mail.com The Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday discussed a proposed rezoning across from the Long Meadow Shopping Center that was appealed twice and recently has been remanded back to the city. On May 22, 2001, the council voted to change the zoning on 3.6 acres of farmland on the corner of Eastern Boulevard and Potomac Avenue from agricultural to cultural, which could clear the way for a new CVS pharmacy in Hagerstown's North End. But since the vote, four new council members - N. Linn Hendershot, Kristin B. Aleshire, Carol Moller and Penny May Nigh - were elected.

SMITHSBURG - Some Smithsburg-area residents are opposed to a local developer's plans to build a Sheetz at the intersection of Md. 64 and Md. 66. Several residents who live near the intersection spoke at a public meeting Monday night held by the Washington County Planning Commission, saying the Sheetz is unnecessary, and that it would increase traffic and lower property values in the area. Most of those residents live on Paden Avenue, a small residential street that connects Md. 64 and Md. 66 near the intersection.