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Council approves detailed site plan for Chipotle at Mill Branch Crossing; drive‑through will be pickup‑only
Summary
Council approved DSP‑20003‑03 for a 2,335‑square‑foot Chipotle with a pickup‑only drive‑through at Mill Branch Crossing. The Bowie Advisory Planning Board had recommended approval; the county planning board review is scheduled for Jan. 30.
The City of Bowie council voted to approve a detailed site plan revision for Mill Branch Crossing that will allow a 2,335‑square‑foot Chipotle restaurant with a pickup‑only drive‑through.
Reverend Koger, the city’s transportation planner, introduced the detailed site plan (DSP‑20003‑03) and said staff reviewed agency comments, including two explicit recommendations: provide a minimum of two bike racks near the restaurant entrance and submit a trip‑generation matrix showing the proposed development compared with the approved trip cap. He also noted that the Bowie Advisory Planning Board unanimously recommended approval at its December 10 meeting.
Edward Gibbs, counsel for Green Branch LLC (master developer of Mill Branch Crossing), detailed the proposal and said the Chipotle would sit on roughly 0.86 acres taken from two outlots in the larger development. Gibbs explained the Chipotle’s drive‑through design is limited to customers who order ahead remotely: “You can only order remotely ahead of time and then you can come through the drive thru lane to pick up your meal and take it with you,” he said, describing the tenant’s operational model.
Why it matters: the site is part of a larger, ongoing mixed‑use development across from Walmart on US‑301; the plan includes townhouses and additional retail outlots. The site plan approval lets the developer proceed to final platting for the Chipotle parcel and continue leasing and construction activities on the retail edge of the complex.
Planning status and conditions County planning review is scheduled for Jan. 30. Staff flagged two review items that were also reflected in the applicant’s materials: required bike racks and a trip generation matrix. The Bowie Advisory Planning Board reviewed the plan and moved unanimously to recommend approval subject to those recommendations.
Council action The council took a motion to accept the detailed site plan as presented and approved it by roll call. The recorded tally was four in favor, one opposed and two abstentions; the motion carried and the site plan was approved.
Developer and next steps Green Branch LLC and its representatives said the next step after council and county approvals will be record platting of the Chipotle parcel (part of outlots 8 and 9) and continued work on the inline retail building immediately adjacent to the Chipotle site.
Ending With council approval the applicant may file a final plat and move toward permit and construction activities pending county actions and the applicant’s compliance with the outlined site plan recommendations.
