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Commission accepts revised Phase 2 residential elevations; material substitutions to be coordinated with staff
Summary
The Planning Commission accepted revised architectural elevations and materials samples for Phase 2 of Harford Mall’s residential component, allowing minor procurement‑driven color or finish substitutions to be coordinated with town staff rather than requiring a return to the commission.
The Bel Air Planning Commission reviewed and accepted revised architectural elevations and materials for Phase 2 (residential) of the Harford Mall redevelopment after staff and the design team explained minor changes discovered during permit‑level coordination.
What changed: Staff noted that the previously approved perspectives and elevations required finalization for the record. The applicant’s architect explained that minor adjustments occurred during detailed design — modest changes to window placement (fenestration), a clarified retaining wall near the site grade at one corner, and extension of the top level of the parking garage toward the mall side to capture a few additional parking spaces behind a perimeter screening. Architect Sean Keerstan and the design team emphasized the building height and overall massing remain unchanged from the original approval; the tweaks address grade, drainage and constructability without altering the approved program.
Materials and procurement flexibility: The applicant provided material samples (including brick and plank cladding) for the record. The commission accepted the submitted materials as material of record but directed that minor, procurement‑driven substitutions (e.g., small shade or pigment differences that commonly occur across manufacturing runs) may be coordinated with staff; any substantial material change would require return to the commission for review. The commission asked staff to record the final elevations dated February 16 and noted that final building permits will still require standard building‑permit reviews.
Vote and next steps: The commission approved the revised architectural elevations with the caveat that substantive material changes must return to the planning commission and that staff has authority to approve modest procurement‑driven adjustments. The applicant will proceed with building permit submittals and finalize construction‑level documents.
