Back in February 2024, a building contractor requested a site plan for a new septic system. The project was a commercial remodel to convert a forlorn one-story residential house into a tax office. The site, on Veterans Highway in Millersville, Maryland, would relocate the owner’s existing business.
What We Knew Going In
The construction of I-97 years ago had begun a slow conversion for the change in use*. The area between the interstate and Veterans Highway consists of a strip of shabby old houses, offset by new commercial development next door and across the street.
*Transformation of these types of areas often begins when the original residents pass on and their heirs sell off to new developers.
So, redevelopment is a benefit to the community, which would lead you to believe that The Powers that Be would fast-track permits for these types of projects…
The process was underway. The contractor filed the building permit and received a requirement from the Anne Arundel County Health Department to install a new septic system. Percolation testing had been done earlier for a commercial multi-story office building next door. Luckily, given the small size of the lot, the use of drywells appeared feasible as indicated by the sandy soil below an initial clay layer in those earlier results.*
*The benefit of the ‘perc and install’ method is that the drywell can be completed on the same day, rather than conducting the test, determining the effective depth, designing the system, and then returning later to re-dig and fill the pit with pipe and stone. It also saves a great deal on the contractor’s costs.
The building contractor had also already filed an “Administrative Decision Request”* designed to fast-track the approval of their building permit.
*This allows for an exemption from the full Preliminary, Site Development Plan and Grading Permit processes normally required for commercial development/redevelopment. Completion of those steps can typically take a minimum of 2-3 years prior to filing a building permit.
However, to qualify for the exemption, the applicant must meet all specified criteria, including but not limited to fire truck access, drive aisle/access width, parking requirements, landscape buffering and limits on new impervious/building floor and disturbance areas. AND, these must be met without necessitating a modification request to allow relief to any of these criteria. The contractor prepared their site plans for this on 11” x 17” sized paper. Easy-peasy, right?
The Quest
Having only been hired to design the septic system based on the testing done next door, we plowed ahead. We worked with the reviewer at the County Health Department. The septic contractor on our team had a good feel for the site and came up with a workable design and computations placed on a full-sized plan (24” x 36”). This included the initial tank/drywells and replacement systems (8 drywells total) within the allowable setbacks from the existing structure, property lines, well and swimming pool.
After a couple months, the plan was blessed. The contractor installed the new system. We were required to update the plan to reflect the actual effective depth of the on-site soil in the drywell, show some minor field adjustments to locations, while also noting the completion of the sealing of the well and the removal of the pool. Then we could take the plan and have it re-blessed, after the fact.
But Wait…
By this time, our role evolved to include consulting. The contractor and owner had received comments on their Administrative Decision Request centered on those requirements for fire truck turnaround, access aisles, parking, landscape buffers, etc. The contractor was unable to satisfactorily resolve the County’s concerns on his own.
Also, they still felt the necessary changes were minimal and were trying to stick to their original projected budget for permitting. After a cursory review of their layout, and our suggestions for revisions, they made changes, resubmitted and received more comments.
Are We There Yet?
Understandably, being well into their 9th month of this project, they were ready to give birth to this baby. Instead, the contractor felt beyond his depth and together they were entirely frustrated by the process. We were hired to take over the site plan entirely and process it through approval.
From experience, I knew with no wiggle room, it would be no simple feat. We had to fit a 25’ landscape buffer, the required planting units (with enough trees/evergreens to satisfy without blocking the visibility of the building), an accessible parking spot and ramp between the existing right-of-way line and the existing structure. Harder still, meeting the drive aisle requirements, with the existing drive pinned between the structure and the side property line with no room for expansion.
Remember, we couldn’t exceed impervious and disturbance limits.
Did I mention they wanted the previously removed swimming pool added to the site plan and included in the disturbance? And, a proposed public water house connection and improvement to the existing State Highway access, were needed? In short, it turned into a 12-month ordeal with several layout options floated to the County reviewers and a re-work over and over of the impervious/disturbance numbers and planting tabulations. We baffled the owner who wondered how the ‘numbers could keep changing?!’
Maneuvering the Roundabouts
One creative solution was to convince the County to rethink the pool requirement. Since the pool had been removed more than 6 months earlier, we asked to file a demolition permit for it and immediately close the permit out. This way we would not need to include it in our new site plan/permit as part of the limits of disturbance.
We also requested the removal of those portions of the existing gravel driveway that were only being paved as part of the driveway improvement. Even though they technically fell within the work limits, they would remain stable. We added a cross slope for drainage.
Fire and drive aisle width was solved by looping the driveway all the way around the building, placing one-way traffic signs and a new area for parking in the rear. These were doable after our prior creative solutions allowed more ‘new ‘impervious and disturbance area.
One More Turn
Having obtained traffic and fire department approvals, only landscaping issues remained. The loop driveway had removed two sections of the buffer from the aprons and did not allow for the required number of planting units. Here, the owner took a pro-active stance and engaged an esteemed, local business leader to attend a meeting between all of us and the County planners. We reviewed the plan, which had now been approved by all other agencies.
During the meeting, the business leader’s insights forced the County to specifically state what they would accept to meet their planting requirements without being ‘relief to the code.’ *
*Picture me, screaming in my head, “There is a 6-story office building next door and a convenience store across the street with less screening along the road, are you kidding me?!!”
It was agreed that a second 24” x 36” sheet would be added for the Planting Plan to show the planting, notes, details and a table with the numbers, species and spacing as agreed.
A final resubmittal was made. We received an official plan approval and the permit was issued.
Energy Efficiencies
While the process was neither quick nor painless, the starting and ending layouts are substantially different. The number and size of plans needed increased and the construction will cost more than the owner anticipated.
With our help, the client still saved about a year and a substantial amount in engineering costs.
However, I’m always reminded that property owners/developers and builders are often misled about these so-called ‘expedited’ review methods and must learn for themselves that ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’*
*It’s always worth it to consult with a firm such as ours up front for a reality check, to better define requirements, hurdles and direct a better design from the start. Could we have cut the timing for the approval in half? Probably not, but maybe by a third with a lot less heartache. Hopefully, they learn and tell their friends.
But as Rascal Flats so eloquently sang it – God Bless the Broken Road... so regardless of the path it took to get there, I’m happy to announce on behalf of the owner, contractors and us to say we found our way to a completed project, and the sad little house has new life, planting is complete and the tax office will soon be open for business!
