Manor Hill Brewing’s foes keep up the fight despite new state law that shields farm breweries

Manor Hill Brewing’s neighbors are again asking authorities to crack down on the Ellicott City farm brewery, but a new state law taking effect next month won’t help their cause.

For more than a decade, residents representing about 15 homes along Manor Lane have complained the 54-acre farm brewery’s operations are far larger than allowed by its permits, local zoning ordinances and other regulations. In recent weeks, neighbors have prepared for a Thursday hearing with the Maryland Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission’s executive director to challenge Manor Hill’s farm brewery license renewal.

Maryland law allows a farm brewery to sell and serve beer, as long as it contains at least one ingredient grown on the farm. A farm brewery may not be issued an alcoholic beverages license unless it conforms with local zoning and planning laws. That, however, will soon change under a new state law.

Under a bill signed by Gov. Wes Moore on May 26, farm breweries that got a license before July 1, 2015, will no longer have to comply with zoning laws before they can be issued an alcoholic beverages license. Four farm breweries — Manor Hill Brewing in Howard, along with Frey’s Brewing, Milkhouse Brewery at Stillpoint Farm and Red Shedman Farm Brewery & Hop Yard in Frederick County — qualify for the exemption, according to Jeffrey Hann, an assistant director for the commission.

The new law also expands what can be served at farm breweries to include food from a licensed food truck or caterer or any cottage food prepared on the farm, rather than just a restricted list of items per the current law. Breweries will also be permitted to host festivals, provide live music or entertainment, or rent portions of the farm for public or private events. And they will be allowed to have as many visitors as they want, as long as the number complies with the fire code.

Manor Hill’s neighbors have long complained about festivals, private events and crowd size. They say the business brought heavy traffic, litter and disorder to their quiet street, which wasn’t designed to accommodate such activity.

Manor Hill representative Rachael Mull declined a request for comment.

Joan Pontius, a spokesperson for the Manor Lane neighbors, testified against the bill, which she called problematic.

“It’s as if they’re handcrafting this for Manor Hill,” Pontius said.

Local government advocacy groups also raised objections to an early draft of the bill, which would have granted the zoning exemption to all farm breweries. The Maryland Municipal League and the Maryland Association of Counties told lawmakers the measure undermined local authority. The latter agreed to support the bill after lawmakers amended it to say the zoning exemption applied only to licenses issued before July 2015.

Sen. Jack Bailey, a Republican representing portions of Calvert and St. Mary’s counties, and Del. Natalie Ziegler, a Democrat representing Howard and Montgomery counties, cosponsored the bill this session.

Bailey did not respond to a request for comment but told other lawmakers the bill was aimed at helping farms and easing the regulatory burden on agritourism businesses.

Ziegler has a connection to Maryland’s agriculture industry. She owns Carroll Mill Farm, located on a section of Manor Lane that does not connect to the stretch where Manor Hill Brewery and its neighbors are located. Ziegler’s family farm supplies rye to Sagamore Spirit Rye in Baltimore.

An early version of the bill included language that would have created a farm distillery license, but that provision was dropped. Ziegler said the family business isn’t interested in pursuing an on-farm distillery or brewery.

She declined an interview request, saying the dispute between Manor Hill and its neighbors has been going on for “as long as I can remember, and it’s not something I can have any positive impact on.”

The neighbors’ latest complaint, filed in 2022, went through three rounds of appeals before Howard’s hearing examiner, Joyce Nichols, ordered county staff in November to issue violation notices to Manor Hill.

The following month, Howard County elected leaders amended zoning regulations to boost agribusiness and agritourism opportunities. New rules clarified the definition of a farm that produces alcohol and expanded the number of visitors permitted on the premises from 50 to 150.

Despite the zoning violations, Pontius said, she’s seen little change in Manor Hill’s operations. The business continues to host events on weekends.

Pontius estimates neighbors have spent $60,000 on attorney fees stemming from the dispute.

The group’s attorney, Alex Votaw, said the new law won’t be in effect when the hearing takes place Thursday, meaning Manor Hill still must demonstrate it satisfies Howard’s zoning ordinances. She said her clients are exploring options for challenging the new state law. Even if zoning becomes a moot issue, Votaw plans to argue Thursday that the brewery improperly made major changes to operations since its license was first approved.

Zoning ordinances should be a “balancing act” between competing interests, Votaw said. She sees the new state law as an example of a powerful entity swaying a legislative body to favor its own interest over the community’s.

“I don’t think that lends itself to good governance or outcomes,” she said.