Westminster takes first step toward annexing land for county sheriff's new headquarters

The Westminster Mayor and Common Council introduced a resolution during its regular meeting on July 27 to annex roughly 4.3 acres of land on the north side of Greenwood Avenue, west of Manchester Avenue, the first formal step toward the site becoming home to a new Carroll County Sheriff's Office headquarters.

The Board of County Commissioners of Carroll County is petitioning to annex the site under Annexation Resolution 26-12, formally known as Annexation No. 90. City Attorney Ramsay Whitworth read the resolution into the record and noted that Community Planning and Development Director Mark Depo was not at the meeting. A member of the planning staff walked the council through the details.

A staff memo from Depo describes the property as 14 separate parcels to be consolidated for the project. The survey filed with the petition is more precise: 10 whole parcels plus portions of four others, totaling 188,284 square feet, and the plat notes that Young Street, which runs through the site, is to be included in the annexation.

Staff told the council that some of the land is already inside city limits, but that the county needed considerably more property than it had to make the project feasible. Annexing the land would also allow it to connect to city water and sewer service, which Westminster's allocation policy requires of adjacent properties that are eligible for annexation and want to tap into the city system.

Deed records attached to the petition show that the county acquired the parcels over nearly two decades, purchasing them from more than half a dozen owners between January 2006 and October 2024.

A Carroll County Attorney's briefing paper dated May 21 states the county's intent plainly: it says the county "has plans to consolidate and develop several parcels along Greenwood Avenue and Manchester to facilitate the construction of a complex to be used by the Carroll County Sheriff's Office," and that the city-county Town/County Agreement requires the land be annexed into the city once it's developed.

The money for the building is already committed. The county's Community Investment Plan for fiscal 2025 through 2030 lists the headquarters at a total project cost of $39.35 million, funded by transfer from the general fund, with $9 million allocated in fiscal 2025 and $30.35 million carried as a prior balance allocation. Nothing further is programmed for fiscal 2026 through 2030. A county project fact sheet had targeted construction beginning in 2025 and completion by January 2026.

Most of the site is vacant and undeveloped. One house remains occupied, and the county owns it: the annexation plan says the resident rents from the county, and staff told the council the tenant can stay as long as they are able to. The plan also states that the area is proposed for commercial use and that no dwelling units are proposed.

Because the county initiated the annexation by petition rather than the council, state law required signatures from at least 25% of the registered voters living in the area and from the owners of at least 25% of its assessed value.

One registered voter lives on the property, and the petition includes a signed attestation from that voter. The county, as sole owner, certifies that it owns 100% of the assessed valuation of the land being annexed.

The land is currently zoned "C-2 Commercial Medium Intensity District" and "R-7,500 Residence District" under the county code. The petition asks the city to rezone the consolidated site "B Business Zone," which city staff describes as allowing development similar to the existing C-2 land but a substantial shift for the R-7,500 parcels. That shift requires a zoning waiver, which the county has requested, and the annexation plan still lists as required.

The two governments' filings describe the property's long-range planning status differently. The county's petition certifies that the entire property is designated Commercial in Westminster's 2009 Comprehensive Plan. The city's own annexation plan describes it as Commercial and Residential under the 2007 Westminster Environs Community Comprehensive Plan. Both documents were included in the same council packet. Both agree that the site sits inside Westminster's designated municipal growth area and a certified priority funding area.

The annexation plan addresses what the city would take on. The plan says the chief of police estimates any impact on police services would be minimal because the annexation does not increase the residential population, and the nature of the existing and proposed use is such that any increase in calls for service would be nominal. The city does not provide fire or EMS service to the site.

Regarding utilities, the plan states that additional water and sewer capacity is available and "has been tentatively allocated pursuant to the City Water and Sewer Allocation Policy, subject to annexation of the Property," citing city Resolution 25-08.

Council members raised a few questions at the meeting, including whether an old alley on the site would be eliminated, and staff said it would disappear through the consolidation process.

Another asked, working from the map in the packet, whether the county now owns the entire stretch of property along Greenwood Avenue, including a garage operating out of a leased building. Staff said they believed the county would eventually own the whole strip but were not certain of the specifics, confirmed the parcel in question is not among the 14 in this annexation, and offered to follow up with the council.

The council voted unanimously to introduce the resolution. From here, the annexation resolution and plan go to the Carroll County and Maryland departments of planning for information and comment, and to the city's Planning Commission for a recommendation.

State law also requires the council to hold a public hearing before acting. Because the annexation area is smaller than 25 acres, notice must be published at least twice at intervals of not less than a week, and the hearing cannot be held sooner than 15 days after the final notice. No hearing date has been announced. If the resolution is ultimately adopted, it would take effect 45 days later unless the city receives a referendum petition within that window.

Featured photo: An image from Google Maps with an area marked in yellow showing the approximate location of the site.