Planning Commission approves McFale Crossing as shopping center, grants site‑plan waivers

The Bel Air Planning Commission voted to reclassify McFale Crossing as a shopping center and approved the site plan with conditions after staff outlined nonconformities and waiver requests.

Staff presentation: Kevin Small, the town director, told commissioners the site is an existing 116,863‑square‑foot, one‑story retail center that became a shopping center under the town code after a former single tenant space was divided into an additional use. He detailed several legacy nonconformities and performance‑standard items that require either a waiver or conditions of approval, including an existing directory sign considered a billboard under current code, compact parking stalls installed prior to a code change, and internal property lines that cross building footprints. Small said the center currently has 576 parking spaces and proposed adding 36 trees to meet the interior parking‑lot tree requirement of 58.

Applicant and public input: Jeff Smith, the engineer of record for the applicant (Kimyhorn), introduced himself and said the applicant accepts staff conditions: “We agree with the conditions he’s imposed on that. We’re okay with everything that’s been said.” A resident asked staff and the applicant to repaint faded crosswalks and noted a missing stop sign; commissioners added striping and crosswalk repainting to conditions.

Commission action and conditions: After discussion the commission found the proposed shopping‑center use consistent with the town’s comprehensive plan and granted a special‑development approval for shopping‑center use. The commission explicitly granted waivers for interior landscape buffers, internal property‑line setbacks and buildings crossing property lines, and approved the site plan on the following key conditions: submission of a final site plan that incorporates staff and agency comments; minor drafting corrections (including correcting misspellings such as “McFale”); striking three parking spaces near the Harbor Freight loading dock to provide a pedestrian connection for residences across Atwood Road; and repainting crosswalks in front of Harbor Freight, Upper Chesapeake Primary Care and adjacent business fronts. The motion passed by roll call (commissioners recorded affirmative votes).

What happens next: The approvals are conditioned on final plan revisions and required recordings; staff will verify the final development agreement is recorded and that signage, parking and landscape details match the redlined exhibits provided. The commission’s action allows the project to proceed toward final permitting but requires documentation and the minor on‑site adjustments spelled out in the conditions before the town signs off on final use and occupancy.