Former Dairy Plant In Laurel, 101 Acres Up For Sale

LAUREL, MD — More than 101 acres in Howard County appear to for sale still, which includes the former Maola dairy processing plant.

The former Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association facility at 8321 Leishear Road is being marketed by Annapolis-based Hogan Companies. The property sits at the intersection of Leishear Road and Route 216, about a mile west of Interstate 95.

While the deadline for bids has closed, a final buyer has not yet been publicly announced or recorded as settled, and commercial listings still show the massive redevelopment site as active or under evaluation.

According to the commercial real estate listing, the property includes a 125,789-square-foot milk processing plant and a 4,063-square-foot wastewater treatment facility.

Both buildings were constructed in 1967 and renovated in 2007. The dairy plant has closed and is being decommissioned.

The cooperative began liquidating the facility this fall, with offers for the property due Oct. 15. It is unclear whether a buyer has been selected.

The property's existing zoning allows industrial and business uses, but a portion of the land also has a mixed-use zoning option that could permit housing, retail stores and offices.

According to Hogan Companies, the largest parcel includes approximately 77 acres north of Route 216 and is eligible for development under the county's MXD-3 mixed-use overlay.

That means apartments or other multifamily housing could be proposed, but the project would need approval from the Howard County Zoning Board before moving forward.

Julia Sauer, chief of the Division of Public Service and Zoning Administration for the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning, explained the process to The Business Monthly.

“If the property owner elects to use the MXD-3 overlay, they will need to process a preliminary development plan to be approved by the Zoning Board,” Sauer said. “The preliminary development plan will outline the permitted uses and could permit apartments or other multifamily type housing.”

Two smaller parcels south of Route 216 also are included in the sale. They total approximately 7.8 acres and are zoned residential. Those properties are wooded and sit next to existing neighborhoods.

Howard County's Future Land Use Map identifies the former dairy property for industrial use, although a future property owner could seek zoning changes.

Howard County Councilwoman Christiana Rigby, whose District 3 includes the property, said residents have expressed interest in seeing community-focused businesses and amenities built on the land.

“Residents near the property have expressed a desire for community-focused amenities like daycare, a coffee shop, restaurants, and a small park, and interest in senior housing and mixed-use development,” Rigby told The Business Monthly.

However, no specific development plans have been announced.

While the land is being marketed for redevelopment, machinery and equipment from the former dairy plant were offered for sale through an online auction.

Pittsburgh-based Harry Davis & Company handled the auction of the Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers facility, with bidding closing Sept. 30 and Oct. 2. Items included milk processing equipment, industrial refrigeration systems, stainless steel silos, storage tanks, butter-making machinery, laboratory equipment and vehicles.

Some of the larger items included 60,000-gallon and 50,000-gallon stainless steel silos, a butter packaging line with robotic equipment and machinery used to process and dry milk. The equipment auctions were separate from the sale of the land and buildings.