24-Hour Diner Learns Fate After Curfew Suggested In Perry Hall

PERRY HALL, MD — The 24-hour Denny's proposed in Perry Hall can proceed after the Baltimore County Council rejected a bill Monday that would've limited its operating hours, reports said.

The Baltimore Banner reported that the diner is under planning in The Shops at Perry Hall, located near the intersection of Belair Road and Honeygo Boulevard. The shopping center already has a 24-hour Wawa, The Baltimore Sun said.

The Sun said the shopping center neighbors the Gatherings at Perry Hall Place, a 55 and up townhome community. Some houses would be within a few hundred feet of the proposed Denny's, which has already spent thousands in development, The Banner said.

County Council Member David Marks (R-Upper Falls) introduced Bill 72-25 to limit overnight hours of eateries near Perry Hall homes. The initial legislation would have prohibited certain restaurants within 250 feet of homes from operating between 10 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The bill wouldn't have applied to fast-food restaurants or businesses with liquor licenses, The Sun said.

"Councilman Marks is asking everyone to imagine they purchased a home, only to later find out that there would be a restaurant 200 feet away. But here, that is clearly not the case," developer Ron Schaftel said, according to The Banner. "There were no surprises."

In an effort to gain more votes, The Banner said Marks increased the distance to 300 feet and delayed the curfew until 11 p.m.

The council still rejected the proposal by a 4-3 margin, The Sun reported.

"The opponents of this bill didn’t bat an eye when the County Council changed the rules to allow for a tattoo parlor in Catonsville, an auto enthusiast club in Timonium, and a personal day spa on Liberty Road," Marks told The Sun in a statement. "Instead, they raised legal objections to legislation that affected a much broader area in Perry Hall that has had tougher building standards for three decades. Homeowners have rights, too, and I will continue to advocate for them."

WYPR said council members instead suggested legislation requiring developers to create a landscaping buffer between commercial properties and houses.

"I'm talking about big trees," said Council Member Izzy Patoka (D-Pikesville), according to WYPR. "Big ones. Big vegetation."

Residents said the trees aren't enough to prevent late-night noise.

"I know I am not the only one from the community that is expressing our unanimous, unanimous preference that this not be a 24/7 establishment," said Dan Williams, a resident who represents about 30 townhouse owners in the area, according to The Banner. "We appreciate the suggestions for trees and buffers, certainly those will make the area beautiful, but they will not do anything to address the nature of noise at 1 a.m., 2 a.m., 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., and that is our biggest concern."