Towson, Maryland — On October 23, 2025 The Baltimore County Board of Appeals approved a special exception and variance request for a new Wawa gas station and convenience store at 10550 Reisterstown Road, despite board members acknowledging the developer provided no evidence regarding the project’s potential noise or light pollution effects on nearby homes.
The three-member panel, chaired by Michael Stelmac, reached a consensus to grant the petition filed by Owings Reisterstown Developers, LLC, allowing the construction of the fuel service station on a site currently occupied by a vacant commercial structure.
During deliberations, Board Member Deborah Dopkin expressed significant hesitation, noting the record was “silent” on critical operational details.
“It is the absence of anything that relates to the impact on the adjoining residences that leaves me with a question mark,” Dopkin said. “I heard no testimony about that.”
Dopkin highlighted that the petitioner failed to present a landscape plan, a lighting plan, or specific hours of operation. She noted that while most Wawa locations operate 24 hours a day, the developer did not confirm this for the Owings Mills site, nor did they present evidence that light from the gas canopy would not bleed into the adjacent residential neighborhood.
Despite these gaps, the Board moved forward with approval, citing a lack of opposition from the community itself. Aside from a competing business owner, no residents from the surrounding Owings Mills neighborhoods attended the hearing to protest the development.
“The neighbors didn’t show up. The neighbors didn’t raise these concerns,” Dopkin said. “If there had been a large community outcry… I might view it differently.”
The Board also granted variances for signage that exceeds standard county zoning limits. Board members accepted the developer’s argument that the site’s unique topography—specifically a steep grade difference between the road and the building—created a “hardship” that justified larger or more numerous signs.
Chair Michael Stelmac and Board Member Joseph Evans joined Dopkin in the consensus, agreeing to condition the approval on future submission of a lighting plan and restrictions on dumpster service hours to between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. to mitigate potential noise.
“I think the petitioners have shown that they meet the general standards,” Evans said. “I am willing to construe conversion [of the site] as non-abandonment.”
The decision clears the way for the redevelopment of the property, which board members described as currently “derelict” and in need of improvement.
