ShopRite Owners 'Want To Work Directly With Community' On Remodel Plan

BEL AIR, MD — Klein's ShopRite plans to renovate and expand its store on Main Street in Bel Air. To do so, the business asked for and was granted zoning changes for several properties owned by the Klein family through a company called Colgate Investments.

"For us to meet the demands of our many thousands of customers, we feel strongly, as do they, that we need to invest in renovating and expanding the ShopRite of Bel Air store on Main Street," the Klein family said in a statement to Bel Air Patch.

"While we love our current Main Street store, it is an old and antiquated building, unable to meet the needs of our customers," the Klein family said. "Without this remodel, the viability of the store comes into question."

The supermarket was constructed around 1957, according to Bel Air Senior Planner Rowan Glidden, who said it had a major expansion in the 1980s.

"Minor alterations have occurred since," Glidden told the Bel Air Planning Commission during its May 5 meeting.

Plans presented in May showed the additions would allow for more interior storage space and improvements to the loading area. Demolition of some structures would also be part of the project, Glidden said.

Colgate Investments presented plans during the May meeting, but the commission asked for those involved with the project to reappear after an appeal period passed and once plans were clearer.

A project manager from Frederick Ward said he had been engaged "late in the game" and was "playing catch-up" before the May planning commission meeting, telling its members he was happy to reappear in June "having these dots connected."

Project leaders presented their plans Thursday night before the Bel Air Planning Commission with more details on the landscape, subdivision and site plans.

In sum, the plans called for a 4,386-square-foot building addition to a 40,443-square-foot supermarket.

Some questions included plans for properties along Broadway and Gordon streets.

"We need to develop more of our property at that location and incorporate an adjacent property into the store plan," the Kleins said. "To accomplish this objective and to make this store the community asset that the town of Bel Air deserves, we needed to engage the town to rezone some of our properties on Broadway. We did this according to both the letter and the spirit of all applicable local laws."

If one adjacent property was needed for the expansion, Bel Air Patch asked the owners of ShopRite why seven were included in the request from Colgate Investments.

“The property adjacent to our current Main Street store is earmarked for renovation and expansion of that store to better meet the needs of the community," CEO of Klein’s ShopRite of Maryland Marshall Klein said in a statement to Bel Air Patch.

"Separately, our customers and other businesses have approached us to express their desire for more housing and modern office space within the Town of Bel Air," Klein said.

The Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners approved the rezoning of 13 properties at its May 2 meeting. These seven properties owned by Colgate Investments were part of the rezoning: 43, 45, 53 and 57 East Broadway and 30, 38 and 44 East Gordon Street. They are now zoned B-3A, or business gateway district, which may include "a mixture of retail, service, office, civic and residential uses," according to Bel Air zoning information. This type of zoning can include new residences and uses to attract visitors like specialty shops, restaurants, theaters and hotels.

"This rezoning allows for a first-class mixed-use development that gives families and local businesses the opportunity to join or stay in the Town of Bel Air," Klein said in a statement to Patch.

More than 1,000 Bel Air residents signed a petition after the rezoning had been approved by the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners stating their opposition, but it was deemed invalid by election judges after the town attorney ruled it null and void since it did not say it was a petition nor did it contest the entire bill.

However, the town code says a petition for referendum can be filed until 41 days after the ordinance passed.

The Kleins said they wanted to keep the community involved in the plans for the future.

"We will seek considerable community input as part of this planning process. The town code is explicit in that landscaping and lighting standards meet strictly established criteria. For all of these projects, we intend to uphold the highest architectural standards that represent an outstanding residential neighborhood," Klein said. "We are decades long Harford County friends and neighbors – not some out of towner. Our history as active owners of all of our properties reflects our family’s commitment as good citizens and neighbors."

Below is the letter in full provided by the Klein family to Bel Air Patch:

KLEIN’S SHOPRITES OF MARYLAND PLANNED EXPANSION ON MAIN STREET IN TOWN OF BEL AIR

Klein’s ShopRite is a locally owned family business that has proudly served Harford County for decades. We pride ourselves on delivering the best customer experience and products for the communities we serve. For us to meet the demands of our many thousands of customers, we feel strongly, as do they, that we need to invest in renovating and expanding the ShopRite of Bel Air store on Main Street. To accomplish this, we need to develop more of our property at that location and incorporate an adjacent property into the store plan. Our customers have been asking us for years to update this store to meet their needs and the needs of the overall community. While we love our current Main Street store, it is an old and antiquated building, unable to meet the needs of our customers. Without this remodel the viability of the store comes into question.

To accomplish this objective and to make this store the community asset that the town of Bel Air
deserves, we needed to engage the town to rezone some of our properties on Broadway. We did this according to both the letter and the spirit of all applicable local laws. These properties were approved with seven other properties in the town’s 2022 comprehensive zoning bill. All our properties are fully in line with the town’s adopted 2022 Comprehensive Plan and were designated for future mixed office and residential use before we submitted our request. We support the overwhelming majority decision of the town commissioners to approve the new comprehensive plan. A potential rejection of the approved rezoning legislation represents an all or nothing scenario - the only way we can execute the planned expansion and update of the Main Street store is with the current approved bill.

As part of our plan to remodel the ShopRite on Main Street, customers and other businesses have
already been approaching us to express their desire for more housing and modern office space within the town of Bel Air. This rezoning allows us to deliver a first-class mixed-use development that gives families and local businesses the opportunity to join or stay in our beloved community. We intend to uphold the highest architectural standards that represent an outstanding residential neighborhood and complement the planned renovations of the supermarket with attractive, modern finishes. We also intend to seek considerable community input in this process. The town code is explicit in that landscaping and lighting standards meet strictly established criteria. Please keep in mind that we are your decades long friends and neighbors – not some out of town interloper developer. Our history as active owners of all of our properties reflects our family’s commitment as good citizens and neighbors.

Harford County is our home and as its heart Bel Air is very important to us. We want to work directly with the community and encourage input on planning and design prior to moving forward with any plan. Our family loves this town and our county. We contribute our time, talent, and resources to local charities and important causes and will continue to do so. We see our neighbors as our partners in this project and look forward to working together to bring a significant benefit to the town of Bel Air. This investment represents our commitment to make Bel Air the best place to shop, live and work in Harford County. We hope you agree and will continue to support us moving forward.

Best to all our friends and neighbors,

The Klein Family