Starbucks Corporation moved one step closer this month to opening a new coffee shop at the current location of the Bel-Loc Diner in Parkville.
This spring, Starbucks submitted plans to Baltimore County officials to replace the 52-year-old diner with a new 1,850 square-foot coffee shop, including a drive-through. The diner, which opened in 1964, would be demolished under the Starbucks proposal.
In the meantime, the diner, located at 1700 East Joppa Road, remains in operation for breakfast and lunch, and the property's owner has not yet sold the site to Starbucks, according to state real estate records.
"It's a truly unique part of Baltimore County's history," County Councilman David Marks, who represents the Joppa Road corridor, said of the diner.
On June 15, Andrea Van Arsdale, the director of the Baltimore County Planning Department, sent the county's Department of Permits, Approvals and Inspections a letter stating that the county's Design Review Panel had approved Starbucks' plan for the site, and that her department agrees with that decision and also recommends approval.
The plan still must be approved by the permits department, while the site's stormwater management plan needs the approval of the county's Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability, according to county officials. Once those steps are complete, Starbucks can begin applying for building permits for the site.
The Design Review Panel is a group of seven architects, landscape architects, engineers and other design professionals, appointed by the county executive, whose task is to encourage design excellence in special portions of commercial revitalization districts.
The panel didn't suggest many changes to Starbucks' proposal, according to panel liaison Jenifer Nugent — the configuration of the parking lot was tweaked, as was an outdoor plaza area, she said. Through talks with the planning department, Starbucks officials elected to include signage and decor from the diner in the new coffee shop in recognition of the property's history, Nugent said.
The exterior design for the building would include the Bel-Loc Diner sign, a long-standing neon beacon atop the diner that is easily visible from Joppa Road. The center portion of the sign, which says "Bel-Loc," would be placed on the side of the new Starbucks, Marks said.
The plan Starbucks submitted to the county also includes a drive-through window that would route traffic from East Joppa Road to Loch Raven Boulevard, along with 16 parking spaces. The corner of Loch Raven Boulevard and East Joppa Road would be planted with bushes and trees.
A sales agreement between the diner and the coffee chain has not yet been finalized, Bel-Loc Diner owner Bill Doxanas said Thursday. He declined further comment.
Starbucks intends to open a location "in Parkville, MD" eventually, a spokesperson for the company said via email June 22. The spokesperson, who declined to give a full name, didn't specify where in Parkville the location would be.
Towson-based lawyer Jason Vettori, who is representing Starbucks in the matter, referred a reporter to Starbucks for comment.
Starbucks operates three locations near the Bel-Loc Diner — one inside the Safeway grocery store, in Carney, at 8858 Waltham Wood Road; one inside the Target store, at 1238 Putty Hill Ave.; and one at the Ravenwood Shopping Center, at 8104 Loch Raven Blvd.
The Starbucks faced added scrutiny of the Design Review Panel because the diner site lies within a special district designated by the County Council. The districts, which are located throughout the county, are called Design Review Panel Areas, one of which runs along Joppa Road, from Quentin Avenue to Pleasant Plains Road. Marks sponsored legislation in 2013 adding that portion of the county to the list of special districts.
"It's an area that needs better aesthetic review — better landscaping, improved lighting, an extra amount of attention to building characteristics," Marks said Thursday. "I think that's going to be a real opportunity area for Baltimore County."
Marks said the diner building is deteriorating and has asbestos in it, as was standard during construction in the 1960s. Reusing the existing building wasn't feasible for those reasons, he said.
Marks, a former vice chairman of the Baltimore County Historic Trust, said he has mixed feelings about the project because it would lead to the demolition of the diner.
"People will view the closing of the Bel-Loc Diner as the closing of a part of our local history," he said.
At the same time, the portion of the Joppa Road corridor in which the diner operates is in need of revitalization, he said.
Marks said he has heard concerns from some members of the community that the proposed drive-through might cause problems with traffic congestion near the site.
"I told Starbucks they needed to be very conscientious of the traffic patterns," Marks said.