Planning commission approves special development to convert Pep Boys bay into trampoline park with conditions

The Bel Air Planning Commission at a special meeting in April approved a special development application from Active Play Adventures Bel Air LLC (doing business as Vault Active Play) to convert a vacant Pep Boys retail bay at the Baltimore Pike/Atwood Road property into an indoor trampoline park, subject to conditions including shared parking, recorded easements and a required manager on duty.

Town planning staff told the commission the proposed amusement center would occupy about 13,674 square feet on the main floor with a proposed 1,925-square-foot mezzanine to be used for party rooms and storage. The application seeks to rehabilitate the existing Pep Boys retail bay while the auto service bays on the Atwood Road side would remain unchanged. Staff said the mattress store and Bel Air Police Department and Harford County Public Schools reviewed the proposal and had no comments; those responses are in the commission packet.

Why it matters: the project would bring an entertainment use and local jobs to a building that has stood largely unchanged for decades, while raising planning questions about parking, circulation, landscaping, lighting and trash handling that the commission addressed with conditions.

Staff and applicant presentations

Planning staff explained the town's parking calculation: the mattress store (5,005 sq. ft.) requires 20 spaces; motor vehicle service (8,682 sq. ft.) requires 29…