Bel Air Commissioners Change Code As Requested By Brewery

BEL AIR, MD — The Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners voted unanimously Monday night to change the town code, as requested by a local business so that it may use satellite parking as it increases its capacity.

Independent Brewing Company informed the town commissioners in June that it was planning to double capacity by adding a second building to its property. The new building would have a 99-person occupancy.

As the business expands, so too does the town's requirement for parking spots.

With a capacity of 198 people in its buildings, Independent Brewing Company would be required to have 66 parking spots, as the town code states there should be one spot for every three people at a microbrewery.

Independent Brewing Company is limited in its ability to create parking at its location on North Main Street. To meet the need for additional spots, the business turned to nearby properties.

Satellite parking "will allow an off-site parking lot that exists" for adjacent use, which "does not exist under the code," Independent Brewing Company's attorney Bradley Stover said.

The company's plan was to improve parking spaces at 411 North Main Street and the gravel lot at 32 Ellendale Street.

Stover also announced that the business was scaling back its request, which had included not only satellite parking but also an increase in outdoor capacity.

"After careful consideration, earlier today I delivered a letter to all of you [town officials] ... asking that that be withdrawn," Stover said. "We would like the sole focus tonight to be simply on satellite parking" and in particular, "creation of a satellite parking lot, a parking lot that will be paved, that will be striped, that will be landscaped and that will be used for the benefit of Independent Brewing Company."

This was also a shift from the brewery's initial proposal, which sought to exempt satellite parking lots from commercial parking regulations.

Stover was the first person of 12 to speak at the Nov. 1 public hearing on the matter, an event held at the Bel Air Armory to accommodate the more than 50 people who turned out. He was the only one whose comments were fully in support of the proposal.

Doris Magness Cunningham, a town resident for 87 years, said she had been at the brewery on its opening night in 2015.

"I love the brewery," said Cunningham, who lives on Nichols Street at the Hearthstone at Village Square condominiums. "You know what I don't love? I have to stand in front of my place with my phone in my hand to keep people from parking there and going over to the brewery."

Cunningham said she has seen three cars at a time pull into her lot.

"The parking has been the biggest problem," said Cunningham, who also noted the noise was no longer able to be drowned out by the TV, "especially Sunday nights for some reason."

Four commissioners on the five-member board voted to approve the code change to include satellite parking as a use for "an off-street parking lot solely utilized by an adjacent use via a recorded easement or agreement for required spaces" and to clarify a buffer would not be required for nonresidential parking that was for commercial use.

Mayor Amy Chmielewski abstained from the vote, following an ethics probe initiated by residents concerned about a conflict of interest; her husband is a contract employee of Independent Brewing Company.

Following approval of the ordinance to modify the town code to include definitions around satellite parking, Bel Air Director of Planning Kevin Small said the town cannot revisit any part of the request for another year.

"Tomorrow is election day," said Cindy Stewart, who lives on Nichols Street. "I strongly encourage everyone in this room to vote. I am hoping we can get some people in these seats to not only encourage businesses in Bel Air but to protect the citizens living here."

This story may be updated.

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See Also:

• Town Hall Meeting In Bel Air Moved To Armory
• Independent Brewing Company Seeks Parking, Outdoor Expansion
• Mayor Won't Vote On Brewery After Ethics Concerns Raised
• Independent Brewing In Bel Air Looks To Expand