Independent Brewing Company Seeks Parking, Outdoor Expansion

BEL AIR, MD — As it aims to expand, Independent Brewing Company is asking the town of Bel Air for amendments to the town's dining and parking requirements.

"We are on the first step, which is seeking code changes allowing for outdoor dining space above what is currently permitted by code," Bradley Stover, attorney for Independent Brewing Company (IBC), said in an email to Patch.

"We also seek a code amendment codifying 'satellite parking' — i.e., parking within the 500-foot radius currently permitted under the code for off-site parking," Stover wrote. "We view that amendment as a clerical item."

Here is the text of the proposed ordinance.

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The Bel Air town commissioners authorized the use of tents for outdoor dining through Jan. 15, 2022.

"COVID has taught us that people want outdoor space," Stover told Patch. "The net result won’t be a significant change from what is currently used as outdoor dining space now – the new building would essentially take the footprint of the existing tent area that is allowed as a temporary use."

Independent Brewing's new building will house a taproom behind the brewery's current location on Main Street, the company reported to the Bel Air Planning Commission in June.

The new building would have a 99-person occupancy, and the old building would also have 99-person occupancy, Independent's representatives told the planning commission.

Now the brewery is asking the town commissioners for permission to move more than 50 percent of its parking off-site as well as to increase its dining capacity.

More than 20 people attended the town commissioners' work session at Town Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 10, where the proposal was on the agenda. Several neighbors said they were disturbed by the noise coming from the brewery, including about 10 neighbors there from the condominiums at 102 Nichols Street.

"In the past year and a half, between loud noise, parking issues and general congestion, our area has been turned into a carnival atmosphere," neighbor Linda Stewart said. "At times the music is so loud, I literally cannot hear my TV."

Bands will play inside the building instead of outside with the new addition, according to Independent.

Stewart said the noise was not just the music.

"Not only is there loud laughing and yelling, but we have to listen to people vomiting," she said.

The new building will "create a buffer between the front part of IBC and the back," Stover told the town commissioners Tuesday, Aug. 10. "We believe that constructing that building will improve things from a noise perspective."

The proposed ordinance will allow for the "same number of people" but they will be "in the building and more parking will be available," Stover said.

Additional parking spots are "being procured at 411 Main" Street, which is "still in process," Stover said in a statement to Patch on Aug. 11.

"The bulk of concerns raised last night centered on noise and parking," Stover said in an email to Patch on Wednesday, Aug. 11. "We are hopeful that the proposed expansion will address both, as bands will be moved from the tent into a building, and additional parking is being procured. IBC will continue to implement the sound monitoring practices in place now to assure the decibel levels meet the Town Code."

The Ellendale lot will be improved with striping and lighting, according to Independent.

The commissioners voted during Monday’s Town Hall meeting to refer the request to the Bel Air Planning Commission.

Related: Independent Brewing In Bel Air Looks To Expand