A hearing examiner has ordered Howard County zoning authorities to issue multiple violations to Manor Hill Brewing, dealing a blow to the popular Ellicott City farm brewery in its lengthy dispute with neighbors.

Residents of 15 homes along the road into the 54-acre property have long complained that Manor Hill operates more like a bar, event venue and corporate headquarters than a farm. The county Department of Planning and Zoning investigated the property three times and decided in May against issuing any permit violation notices.

Hearing Examiner Joyce Nichols’ order overturns that decision and gives the department until Dec. 21 to issue six such violation notices, which could halt Manor Hill’s ability to sell alcohol and host events.

The order also directs the planning department to take another look at traffic to and from the brewery, which neighbors say makes the street hazardous for pedestrians.

Still, Nichols’ order acknowledged that sending the case back to the county’s zoning inspectors for a third time would be “a waste of administrative and judicial time and money.”

The case has pingponged between the county’s hearing examiners and the planning department without resolution since 2022.

Moving forward, Nichols said in the order, objections to her decision would need to be taken up by the Howard County Board of Appeals followed by the circuit court.

“It is the only path forward from the current loop of remands,” Nichols stated in the order.

The deadline for the brewery or the Department of Planning and Zoning to appeal her order falls on Saturday.

The order gives the department 45 days to issue the violation notices.

Planning and Zoning Director Lynda Eisenberg said in a statement that her department is reviewing the order and will take appropriate action in the coming weeks.

Manor Hill CEO Rachael Mull declined to comment on the order, citing that the case is “ongoing.”

Even as Nichols laid out a path that could resolve the case, other issues could drag it out longer.

Several contentious zoning disputes, including Manor Hill’s, have put a serious strain on the Howard County authorities charged with resolving them.

Katherine Taylor, a former hearing examiner who issued an earlier ruling in favor of Manor Hill’s neighbors, cited the case in October as one of the reasons she believed the County Council declined to renew her contract.

The following month, three of the county appeals board’s five members — Chair Gene Ryan, Vice Chair Lynn Foehrkolb and Felita Phillips — announced their intentions to resign by the end of the year. They accused two County Council members, Deb Jung and Liz Walsh, of interfering in cases involving their constituents. Jung and Walsh defended their support for residents at appeals board proceedings as appropriate.

Other council members attempted to smooth things over with the Board of Appeals, whose members are appointed by County Council.

Council Chair Opel Jones said in November that he planned to file legislation to “protect board members and commissioners against interference from council members.” The language, he said, will be based on a section of the county code that addresses County Council interference with the executive branch.

Although the appeals board members have since walked back their plans to resign, Walsh and Jung said during council meetings that their resignations should stand. The two councilwomen voted Monday evening in favor of appointing Andrea LeWinter, a land use attorney, to fill one of the seats. Jones along with Councilman David Yungmann voted against the measure, with Councilwoman Christiana Rigby abstaining.

During the same meeting, council members approved a heavily amended bill that could change the rules for Manor Hill and its neighbors.

Yungmann sponsored the bill and said it had been in the works for five years. He said it’s aimed to make the county’s regulations more welcoming for farm breweries and other forms of agritourism.

“We want more of these and they’re not coming here,” Yungmann said Tuesday.

It’s not yet clear how the amended zoning will play into the ongoing dispute involving Manor Hill.

Farm breweries were authorized by lawmakers in 2014. The permits allow beer to be sold and consumed on site as long as it contains at least one ingredient grown on the farm.

Banner reporter Jess Nocera contributed to this story.