Board of Zoning Appeals Agenda June 26, 2026

The Carroll County Board of Zoning Appeals held a hearing on June 26, 2026, to continue case number 6609 concerning a proposed commercial dog kennel at 6270 Davis Road. The meeting focused extensively on traffic impact analyses related to the conditional use application. The applicant presented a traffic impact study prepared by Lenhart Traffic Consulting, which concluded that the proposed kennel would generate a relatively low volume of traffic (28 to 40 peak hour trips) and that local intersections would continue to operate at acceptable levels of service (A or B). The study relied on trip generation data provided by the kennel operator and industry standards, noting that a dog kennel is not a use listed in the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) manual. The applicant’s expert testified that the site access and local roads could accommodate the traffic without safety issues, citing zero reported crashes in the vicinity from 2019 to 2026. In contrast, the opposition’s traffic expert challenged these findings, estimating daily trips could exceed 500, potentially quadrupling current traffic volumes on Davis Road, a narrow, rural road with limited sight distances and no sidewalks. The opposition expert raised concerns about the one-lane site access driveway, potential vehicle conflicts, emergency access, and pedestrian safety, especially near a school bus stop. The opposition also presented a real estate appraisal expert who conducted a paired sales analysis of properties near existing kennels and found no clear evidence of negative impacts on property values. The Board acknowledged that if the conditional use were approved without required road improvements, dangerous traffic conditions could result. The hearing was recessed and scheduled to continue on July 28, 2026, for further testimony and deliberation.