[Baltimore Sun] Plans for Bel Air Costco set for public hearing Wednesday
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Plans for a new Costco store in Bel Air are set to go before the Development Advisory Committee Wednesday, two months after the proposal received backlash from residents at a public hearing.
The Wednesday meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. in the Harford County Council Chambers at 212 S. Bond St. in Bel Air.
The Development Advisory Committee is composed of representatives from the county, state and other agencies. Committee members will evaluate all aspects of the project ranging from stormwater management to traffic and road designs.
Members will make recommendations to the developer to either change or improve certain aspects of the project. Committee meetings are open to the public and include time for public comment.
The plans — which were introduced in July — show the 22.5-acre development to include the 162,000 square foot warehouse store, 821 parking spaces and a 24-pump gas station at the corner of Plumtree and Emmorton roads.
The site is vacant and zoned B-3 — the highest intensity business development zoning under county code.
Costco officials held a public hearing July 11 to answer questions and hear comments from residents, which was the first step in the county’s development process. The hearing drew more than 100 people to the Abingdon Fire Hall.
During the meeting, Costco’s director of real Estate and development, Erich Brann, said Costco anticipates the location, should it be approved, would attract 5,500 customers per day.
Residents stated that they feel Costco would draw many more customers each day and that the roads in the area would not be able to accommodate the increase in traffic.
Meeting attendees cited their fight against a 186,000 square-foot Walmart that was proposed at the site in 2012. Residents pushed back against that project for three years until the plans were dropped in 2015 when project officials said they were “unable to reach agreement on an additional extension of the contract to purchase the site.”
Residents cited the same concerns with the Costco development — traffic congestion, traffic and pedestrian safety, environmental impact, and an overall reduction in quality of life.
All concerns raised will be addressed during the Development Advisory Committee meeting by agencies such as the Maryland State Highway Administration, which will make recommendations to the developer, should the proposed traffic plans not suit the area.
The developer will be obligated to resolve any issues raised by committee members.
Once all issues are resolved and approved by the Department of Planning and Zoning, the department will grant preliminary plan approval and/or site plan approval.
The next step for the developer would be to create a final plat — a surveyed description of the property — that would need to be signed and recorded in the Harford County courthouse.
At this point, a building permit application may be submitted along with a Public Works agreement and a posted bond to ensure public roads are constructed and accepted by the county.
Construction plans for water, sewer, roads, stormwater management, sediment and erosion control must then be submitted to the county for final design review.
A timeline for project approval has not been established.
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