Planning commission approves Dunkin' Donuts concept site plan for Laurel Glen; road improvements required before occupancy

The Saint Mary's County Planning Commission on May 12 approved concept site plan CSP 24-0428 to build a new 1,861-square-foot Dunkin' Donuts with 704 square feet of outdoor seating at the Laurel Glen Shopping Center in California (community of California within Saint Mary's County).

Staff recommended approval after finding the proposal meets applicable design standards and zoning requirements for the MXH and PUD-CP zones; the commission approved the concept with a condition that any required state or county road improvements be completed concurrently with issuance of the certificate of occupancy.

Planner Shawn Leigh Blasco presented the staff report and listed the standards used to evaluate the concept site plan, citing Section 51.3 (specific regulation and standards), Schedule 32.1 (development standards), Chapter 63 (landscaping and buffer yards), Chapter 64 (off-street parking and loading), and Chapter 71 (resource protection). Blasco entered the staff report into the hearing record as "Exhibit 2."

The proposal calls for demolition of a portion of an underused parking area to create a standalone fast-food building with a drive-through. Applicant representative Anthony Olexon said the design is intended to improve circulation at the site and to revitalize underused pad space. "It'll be a win-win situation," Olexon said.

Blasco told the commission that the site is in a primary growth area and that the proposal meets the minimum outdoor seating requirement (600 square feet) and other locational and design criteria under the comprehensive zoning ordinance. The staff report concluded that the concept plan is consistent with the comprehensive plan and applicable functional plans and that public facilities are adequate to serve the development as required by Section 70.2.2.

During the hearing the applicant said the landlord, identified in the record as Mr. Brown, has coordinated with the proposal and that tenants in the shopping center had been consulted. No members of the public offered testimony at the hearing.

A motion to approve the concept site plan carried unanimously. The commission recorded Ayes from Patty Robrecht, Lynn Delahaye, Judy Philias, Connor Loughran, Jay Cisenau and Joe Van Kirk. The approval included the condition that any required roadway improvements by the state or county must be concurrent with issuance of the certificate of occupancy for the Dunkin' Donuts building.

The commission's approval is for the concept site plan only; the applicant will need to return for additional site-plan reviews, permitting and any state access approvals before construction. Road or access work that involves State Highway Administration permits will require coordination with that agency and any required right-of-way or utility work to be completed before occupancy.