The Bel Air Planning Commission on July 3 approved a site plan for a proposed 3,300‑square‑foot, one‑story commercial building on a 15,000‑square‑foot lot, authorizing 23 parking spaces — including 16 tandem (stacked) spaces — and conditioning approval on final agency sign‑offs and specific parking‑management measures.

The commission’s approval, passed by unanimous voice vote, also included a special‑development permit for outdoor dining and a landscape approval that requires the applicant to pay a $3,600 fee in lieu for mitigation of removed trees before a building permit is issued.

Planner Kevin (planning staff) told the commission the property requires 22 parking spaces under code; the applicant proposes 23, with 16 proposed as tandem or stacked stalls. To limit circulation impacts, the applicant proposed stencils, signage and a chain barrier to reserve deeper spaces for employees. “They will provide signage related to the allocated spaces along with a chain barrier for employee parking to mitigate some of those impacts,” Kevin said in his presentation.

Kate Pierce, representing Frederick Board Associates, said the applicant revised the plan to move the building 7 feet off North Bond and to adjust meter spacing. Pierce said the team will relocate and update five metered spaces and that the final striping would result in the loss of one non‑metered curbside space. “We are requesting to relocate and bring the 5 metered spaces up to code compliant for spacing and sizing, and then there’ll be 1 additional non‑metered space,” Pierce said.

The commission made the site‑plan approval conditional on several items: submission of a final site plan incorporating staff report comments and approvals from Hartford County Health Department and Hartford County Soil Conservation; coordination with the Department of Public Works on site access and on‑street parking locations; and explicit requirements for the 16 stacked spaces that include pavement markings, stenciling, signage and the chain barrier as shown on the revised site plan.

Commissioners also asked for clarity on maintenance and public‑health implications of a grease trap placed near the front corner of the building, adjacent to the outdoor dining area. Contractor Tom Miner of Frederick Ward said sealed grease‑trap systems and routine pumping can mitigate odors. “You can get ones that are sealed, so that they’re not gonna… smell,” Miner said, adding that a maintenance truck can pump and service the unit as needed. The commission explicitly conditioned approval on review and approval by the Hartford County Health Department.

The landscape approval requires a final landscape plan that incorporates staff comments and payment of a $3,600 fee in lieu for woodland and unique vegetation mitigation prior to building permit issuance; staff said there is no practical on‑site location to replace removed trees. The applicant also revised buffering next to an adjacent church by selecting shrub species that reach 8–10 feet for improved screening.

The special‑development approval for outdoor dining was granted with specific findings under town code performance standards: amplified music and public‑address systems are not permitted between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m.; live entertainment and recreational games are not permitted between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m.; the exterior dining area must meet chapter 345 of the town code; and any alcohol service requires approval from the Hartford County Liquor Board. Staff noted the applicant’s site plan shows an exterior dining layout and a limit of 27 seats for outdoor dining on the submitted plan.

Next steps: the applicant must submit a final site and landscape plan that addresses staff and agency comments, secure required agency approvals including the health department review of the grease trap, and provide the $3,600 tree mitigation fee before a building permit will be issued. The commission recorded unanimous approval for the site plan, landscape plan and special‑development permit at the July 3 meeting.

The commission did not specify a formal enforcement mechanism for misuse of stacked spaces beyond the required signage and chain barrier; commissioners acknowledged potential practical enforcement issues during discussion.