June 15, 2025 Volume XXIII, Issue IV
Dear GHCA Members and Friends:
In the interest of getting the news out as timely as possible, I am quoting, in part, an email by Stu Kohn, President of HCCA. Stu wrote:
“This past Thursday on 4 June the Board of Appeals (BoA) spent 6 HOURS concentrating on the Issue of “Jurisdiction.” That is, whether the Go Kart case should go forward and be heard by the BoA. The neighbors in the Highland area previously filed a complaint with the Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) of violations, especially since their quality of life had been disturbed. The Greater Highland Crossroads Association, GHCA, asked the Howard County Citizens Association (HCCA) to be involved with the concerns of the community and participate in the proceedings.
Both the DPZ and the Hearing Examiner, H.E, ruled the Go-Kart facility on the property is not permitted for the reasons cited below. The owner, petitioner, filed an appeal of the H.E.’s Decision and Order dated March 3, 2025, in which the H.E. dismissed the Petition.
The Petitioner constructed the facility without having permits or environmental approvals. He admitted this was a mistake.
The hearing before the BoA centered on speculation as to why both the DPZ and the Hearing Examiner had taken the following positions and actions:
DPZ – in their written Technical Support Report stated, “Go-Kart racing is not listed as a permitted activity. We are unable to evaluate the petition for compliance with General Standards in Section 131.0.B and minimum criteria in Section 131.0.N.” You can view the various documents associated with this case at https://cc.howardcountymd.gov/board-cases/ba-24-022c-0.
Hearing Examiner – stated in the Decision and Order: “the required findings and analysis have not been prepared by DPZ and because said findings and analysis are required before the Hearing Examiner may go forward with the hearing on a conditional use petition; the Hearing Examiner lacks jurisdiction to hear the petition.”
The video can be viewed at https://howardcounty.granicus.com/player/clip/6242?view_id=6&redirect=true…
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The case has received media coverage see https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/howard-county-go-kart-race-track-zoning-maryland-appeal/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h from WJZ Television.”
The WJZ report is an accurate report that sticks to the facts.
The case is scheduled to resume on June 26 at 9:00AM. In the meantime, attorney Macy Nelson has filed a motion for reconsideration that in essence argues that the hearing strayed from a purely legal issue of whether the BOA had “jurisdiction” to hear the case to irrelevant witnesses and exhibits while the opposition was prevented from presenting its exhibits and making its legal case.
The BOA is not required to hold a hearing on the motion, but we hope they will. For anyone sincerely interested in the case and how the BOA is conducting it, the motion is required reading GO TO: https://cc.howardcountymd.gov/sites/default/files/2025-06 Motion%20for%20Reconsideration%20with%20Exhibits%206.9.25.pdf