Panel approves McDonald’s rebuild at Back River Neck Road with staff conditions

Baltimore County’s Design Review Panel on June 11 approved a proposal from McDonald’s to raze and rebuild the restaurant at 205 Back River Neck Road, endorsing the applicant’s site and architectural concept while noting staff conditions and the need for a parking variance and a special hearing for parking on a portion of residentially zoned land.

Why it matters: The site sits in the Essex commercial review area and is part of the Middleborough Plaza assembly of parcels; the applicant described a smaller but modernized building footprint and updated site work intended to improve circulation, landscaping and stormwater management.

The applicant team, led by Brandon Rao of Boller, said the proposed building would be a 3,694‑square‑foot freestanding McDonald’s with a side‑by‑side drive‑through that merges into a single pickup lane. Rao told the panel the proposal includes 52 parking spaces and that a parking variance will be required to permit 52 spaces in lieu of the 60 spaces required by code.

Landscape designer Ethan Richard summarized the planting approach as a mix of native and resilient species to meet Baltimore County landscape manual requirements. He said the plan calls for red maples and ornamental redbuds along the street frontage, white oaks in parking islands for shade, and screening plantings and shrub layers around the dumpster pad.

Planning staff recommended approval of the site and deferred form and image to the panel, but asked for clarified landscape labeling and specimen‑tree identification, an outdoor seating area (which McDonald’s declined for operational reasons), an identified pedestrian connection from Back River Neck Road to the building entry (applicant said the existing five‑foot elevation change makes that connection infeasible), and bike racks. Staff also noted the project needs a parking variance (52 proposed vs. 60 required) and a special hearing to allow commercial parking within a portion zoned DR 10.5.

Panel members reviewed the elevation materials and lighting proposal; applicant representatives said they would reduce rear light pole heights adjacent to residences to 18 feet in response to staff guidance. Panelists praised the generally native plant palette and asked the applicant to be mindful of overhead utility lines when siting street trees.

Motion and disposition: A motion to approve the McDonald’s project, conditioned on Planning Department staff comments, passed by voice vote (unanimous from the panel quorum present). The panel chair recused himself from this agenda item; Donald Khan chaired the discussion of this project.

What’s next: The applicant will move forward to county permitting and pursue the necessary parking variance and special hearing. Final landscape, lighting and signage details will be reviewed by Department of Planning staff during the permit review process.