CITY OF ABERDEEN
PLANNING COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
A meeting of the Aberdeen Planning Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m., September
10, 2014, in the Council Chambers by Chairman Schlottman.
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Chairman Mark Schlottman, Commissioners Chuck
Glassman, Karen Heavey, Kevin Miller, and Amy Snyder
OTHERS PRESENT:
Phyllis Grover, Director of Planning & Community
Development
Gil Jones, Recording Secretary
The minutes of the August 20, 2014, meeting were approved as presented.
AGENDA ITEMS:
1. Review Preliminary Site Plan for McDonald’s Restaurant
Location: 740 South Philadelphia Boulevard, Lot 2.
Representatives: Gerry Powell, Frederick Ward Associates (FWA), and Valek Zarski,
Baltimore Land Design Group (BLDG).
Mr. Powell indicated this McDonald’s would be located at Aberdeen Station, in the same area as
Aldi’s and Royal Farms. Highway access, utilities, storm water collection, and storm water
management (SWM) facilities are already in place. The lot is zoned B-3 and is in the City’s
Downtown Revitalization District, as well as in Aberdeen’s Wellhead Protection Zone 2. The
pad site under consideration is 1.2 acres in area. The Architectural Review Committee (ARC)
reviewed the plan on July 31, 2014, and had an overall favorable response (The ARC’s
comments were distributed to the Planning Commission by the Aberdeen Department of
Planning and Community Development prior to tonight’s meeting).
Mrs. Grover said the Harford County Health Department had sent her its comments and she
passed these on to the BLDG. Mrs. Grover comments were to correct Note 17 to reflect the
presence of underground tanks at the Royal Farms store, and to add a note indicating the
requirement for an access permit from the State Highway Administration (SHA). Mrs. Grover
said she had not yet received the SHA’s written comments, but they did send a message
indicating the comments would be minor in nature.
Mrs. Grover read into the record the comments that had been provided to Mr. Powell by the
Aberdeen Department of Public Works (DPW), to wit: SWM as-builts will need to be revised to
reflect the new storm drain outfall to the existing fore bay; Show outfall protection at the
proposed E-1; If sanitary manhole 1 is existing, add the following note – “Existing sewer
manhole to be rehabilitated as required by the City of Aberdeen;” If sanitary manhole 1 is
proposed, add the following note – “Proposed sanitary manhole should not be located in the
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existing swale;” Provide a letter certifying water and sewer usage signed, sealed, and dated by an
engineer; Add the following note – “Private utilities to be a minimum of one foot below City
utilities or installed in a conduit;” and no irrigation systems are to be placed within the public
drainage and utility or SWM easements.
Mrs. Heavey asked about the location of the pickup window; Mr. Zarski pointed it out. Mr.
Powell said a third window has been added at the end of the row for those needing to wait a little
longer for their orders. Mrs. Heavey asked if the pickup windows would be open 24 hours; Mr.
Zarski said yes. Mrs. Heavey asked if this would be changed if it is shown that the market will
not support it. Mr. Powell said that may be, but for now it will be open 24 hours. Mrs. Heavey
asked about the distance to the nearby homes. Mr. Powell said they are about 200 feet away. He
added that there would be landscaping, forest conservation, and a SWM pond between the
McDonald’s and the homes. Mr. Powell indicated a decibel range chart had been prepared that
showed the range of sound coming from the drive-thru intercom system. This chart was shown to
the ARC and a copy shown to the Planning Commission for their consideration.
Mrs. Snyder asked about the size of the proposed McDonald’s in comparison to the one currently
on South Philadelphia Boulevard. Mr. Powell said it would be about the same, and that the
current store will close once this one is opened.
Mr. Schlottman asked why the store is being moved. Mr. Powell said locations are either being
refurbished or new stores built with 2 drive-thru windows, thus helping move customers through
more quickly. Mr. Schlottman asked what would be done with the old location. Mr. Powell said
he did not know.
Mr. Schlottman asked about the traffic flow into the parking area. Mr. Powell showed the flow: a
right into the site, with a one-way movement counter-clockwise around the store to the drive-thru
or parking area. Mr. Schlottman asked for clarification on the number of parking spaces, as the
ARC notes show 52 and the preliminary site plan shows 55. Mr. Zarski said there would be 52
spaces plus 3 for handicapped parking. Mr. Schlottman asked about sound from the drive-thru.
Mr. Powell said the system works off the ambient noise levels and adjusts accordingly; as the
ambient noise drops, the microphone volume adjusts downward. The sound boxes are also
angled and rotated to point in the longest direction away from the homes. Mr. Schlottman said he
brought this up due to an issue at the old Gino’s (now Pat’s) with drive-thru sound carrying over
to the nearby homes. Mr. Powell said the technology has improved over time in a variety of
ways.
Mrs. Grover asked about the total number of projected employees. Mr. Zarski said there would
be 12 to 17. Mrs. Grover said the preliminary site plan shows 18. Mr. Zarski said that number
was used to be on the safe side. Mrs. Grover asked how much the project would cost. Mr. Zarski
said $2.7 million.
Motion by Mr. Miller, seconded by Mr. Glassman, to approve the preliminary site plan,
with incorporation of staff comments. Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Schlottman asked about the timeframe for the project. Mr. Powell said the site is to be
delivered in March 2015, so it should be open by June or July of 2015.
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2. Review Preliminary Site Plan for the Medline expansion
Location: 100 Rock Glenn Boulevard.
Representatives: Doug Kopeck, CNA, and Robert Murray, Alston Construction.
Mr. Kopeck gave the background and history of the Medline location from its inception in 2002.
The original footprint was intended for a 400,000 square foot building, but only roughly 292,500
square feet was constructed. The proposed 106,885 square foot addition would bring the total
size of the building to 399,385 square feet. Mrs. Grover said Note 16 on the plan shows 399,422
square feet. Mr. Kopeck said he will check on the figures.
Mr. Kopeck indicated there would be additional loading docks and paving, subject to current
SWM regulations and facilities, which are also shown on the plan. The zoning is M-1, Light
Industrial District. There were 119 parking spaces provided during the original construction. This
aspect was over-built, therefore there is no need for additional spaces.
Mrs. Grover asked Mr. Murray to give an overview of the company for those Planning
Commission members that were not here at the time of the original approval. Mr. Murray said
Medline is one of the largest medical suppliers in the country, providing a variety of medical
supplies to all types of medical facilities. He said they now need a bigger space, especially for
emergency supplies. In addition, more items are going out on a pick basis rather than by pallets.
The demand has also gotten higher due to the aging population.
Mrs. Grover said that the SHA comments are minor in nature, as many of the improvements to
roads in the area have been completed as a result of the Fields at Rock Glenn development and
were coordinated with Medline, the City, and Harford County. The SHA comments have been
sent to Mr. Kopeck. Mrs. Grover said her comments are minor in nature: Note 15 will be
changed to indicate the parking meets current Code requirements, and Notes 22, 23, and 24
speak to road improvements that have already been completed and don’t need to be on the plan.
Mrs. Grover read into the record the comments that had been provided to Mr. Kopeck by the
Aberdeen Department of Public Works (DPW), to wit: Provide a letter certifying water and
sewer usage signed, sealed, and dated by an engineer, to include existing usage for the facility;
Add the following note – “The approval and signing of this plat by the City of Aberdeen in no
way guarantees the availability of water or sewer service to the property at the time of
development;” Add the following note – “Condition of approval: no building permits shall be
issued for any lot whereby that lot’s anticipated flow at the time of building permit application
would cause the City’s systems (water and/or sewer) to exceed its rated capacity;” Provide three
grid tics in multiples of 250 feet; Provide owner’s signature block and signature; Existing SWM
facility adjacent to Robin Hood Road needs as-built plans and computations; Provide a current
back flow prevention installation assemblies test and maintenance report; Provide drainage and
utility easement deed references; and the existing SWM facilities on Lot 2 have not been
converted to SWM.
Mrs. Grover indicated the lot across the street will be developed as a park, as the City is in the
process of receiving this land from Harford County.
Mr. Miller asked if this addition is for manufacturing or storage. Mr. Murray said this would be
for storage and distribution.
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Mrs. Heavey asked about the height of the addition. Mr. Murray said it would be 37 feet from the
slab to the beams, with an overall height to the ceiling of 44 feet. He added that the roof pitch
would be peaked differently from the other part of the building in order to meet the new SWM
regulations. Mrs. Heavey pointed out the 17 current loading docks and asked if these would be
increased or moved. Mr. Kopeck said the expansion is mainly for warehousing; the docks
pointed out by Mrs. Heavey would be used for emergencies, not for day-to-day operations. No
additional truck traffic is anticipated.
Mr. Schlottman asked about the shipping flow. Mr. Murray said items are shipped out in the
morning and received in the afternoon. Construction will be carried out in accordance with this
schedule. Mr. Schlottman asked if additional employees would be hired. Mr. Murray said yes,
but the number is not known at this time. Mr. Schlottman asked about fire suppression. Mr.
Murray said an Early Suppression, Fast Response (ESFR) sprinkler system is in place now and
will be expanded to the new addition.
Mr. Miller asked about the type of truck traffic. Mr. Murray said most trucks would be of the 53foot variety, roughly 40 per day, along with some FedEx deliveries. He said the volume should
stay about the same.
Mr. Schlottman asked about the number of current employees. Mr. Murray said there are roughly
40, basically on two shifts.
Mrs. Grover asked that Note 16, building coverage, be changed to 399,385 square feet. She also
asked that the proposed height of 44 feet be shown on the plan, and indicated she would e-mail
Medline for their employee count.
Mrs. Grover asked about the approximate cost of the project. Mr. Murray said it would be about
$5 million. Mrs. Grover asked if the addition will have the same appearance as the existing
building. Mr. Murray said it would. Mrs. Grover asked about landscaping. Mr. Murray said Mr.
Kopeck will be preparing a complete set of landscape plans.
Motion by Mr. Miller, seconded by Mr. Glassman, to approve the preliminary site plan,
with incorporation of changes and staff comments. Motion passed unanimously.
There being no further business or public comment, the meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
_____________________________
Planning Commission Chairman
_____________________________
Recording Secretary
_____________________________
Date of Approval
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