Committee recommends rezoning to allow commercial composting facility at 6101 Bolles Lane

The Baltimore City Land Use & Transportation Committee on Feb. 12 recommended favorably a rezoning and conditional-use conversion for a commercial composting facility at 6101 Bolles Lane, advancing the administration’s stated zero-waste objectives.

Tyler Shonella, deputy director of government relations for the mayor, described the bill as a technical zoning change to allow industrial-scale composting at the site and urged a favorable committee report to enable the operation.

Planning staff said the proposal rezones the property from Office Industrial Campus (OIC) to Industrial Mixed Use 2 (IMU-2), a zoning category that contemplates conditional approval of composting facilities in the general land use plan. The Planning Commission reviewed the bill on Jan. 15 and recommended approval. Christian McNeal of the Department of Transportation and Christine Griffin of the Department of Public Works both stood behind favorable reports; DPW noted the rezoning would allow modernization of the Bolles Lane facility, creation of small-hauler and residential drop-off areas, and construction of the composting operation to support the city’s zero-waste goals.

There was no public testimony recorded on the bill. The committee adopted the Planning Commission’s findings of fact and conducted a roll-call vote; multiple members recorded 'yes' votes and the bill was recommended favorably to the full council for final action.

Next steps: the bill will be sent to the full Baltimore City Council for consideration.