BEL AIR, Md. — A shuttered department store, with its faded logo - it's a reminder of what Harford Mall in Bel Air used to be.
"It’s dreary. It used to be a really bustling place, people used to be there, and now it’s just kind of like desolate, dead," Luca Fleshman, who works at a store inside the mall, told WMAR-2 News on Friday.
Take a look at the vision for the future at the site of Harford Mall
"I think it’s kind of surreal. I grew up with my dad and my mom taking me to Justice that was here, and that’s long gone, so it’s kind of bittersweet," Genevieve Riehl, a shopper and resident of Bel Air, said.
But rather than focusing on the past, new developers are putting forth their vision for the future.
"I think it’s a good idea. I think it’ll be beneficial to the community," Riehl said.
Atlanta-based development company SJC Ventures just unveiled plans for the major redevelopment project here at the Harford Mall - plans that have been in the works for more than a year.
The project really took off once the company secured what they're calling a "catalyst retailer." In this case, it's an organic grocery store the developers can't formally name just yet, but WMAR-2 News can confirm that it's Whole Foods.
The next phase will entail knocking down the former Macy's, and turning it into an open-air, pedestrian-friendly shopping center. The former Sears building has already been redeveloped, and will soon open as an Amazon Fresh grocery store. Behind that, will be an apartment complex. Eventually, the goal is to revamp the entire mall, and have it be a space you can walk through.
"It is the way forward, but this is a unique opportunity," Garrison said. "We look at malls across the country and there's typically some predatory lease that can't be terminated, that controls the ability to redevelop the site. They'll either hold out for a lot of money or they just don't want to do it. Here, CBL [the current owner] has done a great job of working with tenants to provide them with alternative locations to really work to keep this opportunity open for a redevelopment, in order to really satisfy what the community is looking for - this open air sort of really activated, energetic, community retail hub."
"Over the last couple years, more and more department stores have been shut down and I feel like there’s a lot of stuff that can be used with the space already that’s not being utilized," shopper Thomas Cochran said.
"They’ve talked about how they’re gonna put a center court again, where it’s like greenery, things like that. And I do feel like that would breathe some life back into the mall, you know malls are dying. And it might be good for the apartments there too. I do really hope that happens," Fleshman said.
There's been concern about congestion and traffic getting worse at this busy intersection.
"I mean, all over Bel Air they've been implementing apartment complexes and I have seen an increase in the traffic in the past decade so I think the traffic's just gonna keep getting worse," Riehl said.
"We've done our due diligence," Garrison told WMAR-2 News in response. "So we've hired traffic engineers, we've worked with the staff at the town, and we are very comfortable that the traffic is going to be not an issue. We're actually diminishing the amount of retail space, we're diminishing the number of trips. When you're trying to create open space, when you're trying to create a different plan, it's not just, you know, box upon box upon box of typical mall style development. So it's a little bit more thoughtful. It's a little bit less dense."
As for when construction will start, Garrison said: “We have a little bit of a time-sensitive uh development approach for the catalyst retailer. They're trying to be open by the fall of 2027. That's a big target for them. And so we've really been focused on phase three, you know, the rest of the phases can come at the appropriate time and, and certainly getting the catalyst in is the major sort of requirement, but I think it's gonna follow very shortly thereafter and you're gonna see things start to change rapidly, uh, as, as you would hope and the mall will be de-malled, but that discussion is yet to be had."
“Harford Mall has been a staple in the Bel Air community for more than 50 years. Over the last several years, as the retail industry has evolved, we’ve been working to position the property for the future,” said Jon Meshel, senior vice president for redevelopment at CBL Properties. “Our partnership with SJC presents us with an unparalleled opportunity to redevelop the former Macy’s parcel into an open-air shopping center anchored by one of the country’s leading organic grocers. This new development will complement SJC’s project on the former Sears parcel on the southwest side of the campus as well as the multifamily development adjacent to the former Sears. As the owner of Harford Mall, we could not imagine a higher and better use for the former Macy’s parcel, and we look forward to working with SJC as they move forward with this project.”
“The Harford Mall property sits at an integral intersection of Routes 1 and 24 in Bel Air and has served our community well for many years. As malls have changed across the country, we are grateful to CBL Properties for their continued commitment to Bel Air and the investment they are making, along with SJC Ventures, to transform the Macy’s portion of the property into a lifestyle center that will create additional connectivity and vibrancy along this corridor,” said Angela Robertson, director of economic development for the Town of Bel Air. “We look forward to seeing the vision of SJC Ventures come to life in Phase 3 of this redevelopment project, which will create new jobs, enhance our community, attract additional investment, and bring new opportunities for up-scale shopping and dining to our Bel Air residents.”
