Bel Air planning panel approves Brookside Market restaurant conversion with conditions

The Bel Air Planning Commission on Feb. 10 approved a preliminary site plan allowing Brookside Market to convert a 3,694-square-foot building at 126 North Main into a proposed 4,764-square-foot restaurant with a 494-square-foot outdoor dining area.

Commissioners and staff said the proposal meets the town’s goals for downtown reuse but placed final approval on a set of conditions to clarify site details, preserve access and address community-facing features. The conditions require incorporation of staff and agency comments prior to building permits, confirmation of existing and proposed floor areas and seating counts, a refuse/recycling enclosure, and either parcel consolidation or a development agreement (or similar legal document) binding the four parcels and parking arrangements.

Paul Thompson, the architect of record, told the commission the plans include a 1,070-square-foot addition for walk-in freezer and storage and that the design uses stone and consistent materials across all elevations. “The grease trap will be in the ground, in the back of the building, so that they can pump that out,” Thompson said when explaining trash and grease-handling arrangements. He added the team will provide louvered screening for the walk-in coolers and rooftop mechanicals and that revised elevations have been submitted to address staff concerns.

Staff noted the site contains 41 on-site parking spaces, including two accessible spaces, and that the combined interior seating (59) plus outdoor seating (24) equals 83 seats. Staff said that detail and other figures must be corrected and called for a site-plan legend, sign dimensions and clarification of handicap stall slopes. The commission emphasized that although many uses in the B-2 district are not required to provide additional parking, the approval relies on the applicant’s representations and recommended legal protections to maintain access and parking if parcels change hands.

A commissioner read a covenant recorded in the title indicating a perpetual obligation to preserve a stone property-line marker on the Main Street side; the applicant agreed to locate the marker and, if found, preserve it. Commissioners added a condition requiring survey verification and protection of any historic marker found on the property.

The commission also required a finalized landscape plan signed, dated and sealed by a Maryland-registered landscape architect, a plant schedule showing species, quantities and sizes, a calculation demonstrating conformance with Article 8 and the Landscape Manual, and an increase of the planting buffer along North Main Street to accommodate street trees. The commission set a deadline of Feb. 28, 2026 for submission and staff review of the final landscape materials.

Other conditions clarified dumpster pad and enclosure notes, required a pedestrian access entrance to the refuse enclosure, asked for a callout identifying the type and height of railing around the outdoor dining area, and requested a photometric lighting plan if new lighting is proposed. Commissioners also required screening for a small outdoor storage area and asked for documentation that the applicant will coordinate any needed liquor-board discussions about an enclosed pergola or seasonal enclosure.

Casey Brooks, the owner-applicant, described the concept as American‑driven cuisine with an Italian influence and brick-oven pizza, and said the business plans to lean on carryout and third‑party delivery in addition to dine-in service. “Hamburgers,” Brooks said when asked about the menu in a short exchange. At least one nearby resident, Nathan Booth, spoke in support, calling the site an eyesore and urging a durable trash enclosure and attractive finishes.

The commission approved the preliminary site plan and the special-development request for the outdoor dining area by roll-call votes after adding the conditions. Final building permits will be issued only after required agency comments (Bel Air Fire Department, Hartford County Health Department, Maryland State Highway Administration, Hartford County Soil Conservation District, Bel Air Public Works, Maryland American Water Company) are addressed and the plan revisions are completed.

The commission’s action allows the project to move to final plan submittal and permitting while preserving the town’s authority to require consolidation or a legal agreement that binds the parking and access arrangements to the restaurant use.