Havre de Grace planning commission approves Sheetz site plan, flags water and traffic issues before permits

The Havre de Grace Planning Commission on July 17 approved a site plan for a proposed Sheetz convenience store and six‑pump fuel canopy at the Pulaski Highway (U.S. 40) and Osborne Lane intersection, voting to accept the plan as presented while leaving final determinations about water, fire protection and some intersection improvements to city staff and the Department of Public Works.

The vote to approve the site plan passed with five votes in favor and one opposed (Harry Miller, Janice Chan, Farhad Shah, Ed Girono and Chair Von Volney Ford voted yes; Commissioner Chip Place voted no). The motion on the record was to "approve the site plan as presented." The planning commission also made the staff report part of the record before public testimony.

Why it matters: The site is in the Pulaski Highway commercial corridor and is a redevelopment of a 1.48‑acre property that previously held a 2,182‑square‑foot bank building. Commissioners and staff said the project advances local commercial redevelopment goals, but several infrastructure issues remain unresolved and must be addressed before building permits can be issued.

Staff overview and key conditions The Department of Planning staff read a detailed report into the record describing the proposal as a 6,132‑square‑foot convenience store with a six‑pump fuel canopy on roughly 1.47 acres (the application materials show 6,100–6,132 sq ft depending on draft). The subject property was annexed into the city in 2023 under Annexation Resolution 2023‑21 and is zoned C (commercial). The conditional‑use approval for a gas station was granted by the commission in June.

The staff report concluded the site plan is technically sufficient for…