Carroll County planning officials have rejected final plans for a proposed 650-unit self-storage facility near homes in Eldersburg, ending more than two years of review that drew sustained neighborhood opposition and, just days earlier, a lawsuit from the project's developer. The Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission turned down the three-story facility planned for the southeast corner of Carroll Highlands Road and Maryland Route 26, after the commission chair broke a 3-3 tie against the final plans.
The project, known as Carroll Highlands Self Storage, had been described as a proposed three-story, 650-unit facility at Liberty and Carroll Highlands roads, according to the Baltimore Sun. That description marked a shift from an earlier version of the plan: back in 2023, the project was described as a four- or five-story, 750-unit building, as reported by the Capital Gazette.
A Deferral That Expired, A Vote That Went Against the Project
The project was ultimately deemed ineligible for final approval because a deferral tied to the property had expired in September.
The rejection caps a review period that stretched past two years, with the underlying property authorized by the county back in March 2022 for a storage facility, according to the Capital Gazette, sitting on 3.52 acres of commercial land. The site is not the only one in the pipeline — county staff told commissioners earlier this year that three storage projects were under consideration countywide, according to a report from Citizen Portal.
Neighbors Pushed Back for Years
Opposition to the Eldersburg facility has been building since at least 2023, when a petition against the project gathered roughly 2,000 signatures, the Capital Gazette reported at the time.
Traffic was a recurring worry throughout the process. Residents told county officials they were concerned about large trucks traveling through neighborhood streets to reach the facility, according to the Capital Gazette. Commissioner Ed Rothstein identified the facility's size, its proximity to the neighborhood and restricted access from nearby Route 26 as specific challenges facing the proposal, the outlet reported.
County Had Already Hit Pause Once Before
The fight over Carroll Highlands Self Storage also prompted broader action from county leaders. In 2023, the Board of Carroll County Commissioners voted unanimously to ask the Planning and Zoning Commission to review zoning requirements for self-storage facilities proposed near housing developments in commercial districts, according to the Capital Gazette. Carroll County extended its permitting pause on Eldersburg self-storage projects, including this one, in a split vote earlier this year, the Sun reported.
That pause became a flashpoint of its own. Commissioners later declined to direct staff to hold a public hearing on extending the deferral for self-service storage uses by another six months, per Citizen Portal's reporting. A developer representative warned during that debate that further delay could be unconstitutional under Maryland case law, the outlet noted — a warning that foreshadowed the lawsuit the developer would eventually file.
Developer Sues Over Delays Days Before Rejection
Just days before the commission's vote, Carroll Highlands Self Storage filed suit against Carroll County over delays, according to the Sun.
