Developers want to convert the former Macy’s at the Harford Mall into a $100 million shopping center, anchored by a 35,000-square-foot “high-end, organic” grocery store.
The new retail proposal is phase 3 of the Harford Mall redevelopment and was introduced to town and county officials last week by the Georgia-based developer, SJC Ventures. The plans include not only the large grocery store, but 48,000 square feet of luxury boutiques, restaurants, shops and amenities in an open-air shopping center in place of the former Macy’s.
SJC Venture’s website has the project listed under the name “The Shops at Harford,” with the project type listed as a “grocery-anchored neighborhood shopping center,” with a “best-in-class grocer.” The grocer has not been publicly named by the developer.
The project is envisioned as a mixed-use development — combining residential, retail, and community areas — on a site that is expected to bring hundreds of thousands in new tax revenue to Bel Air, annually.
Current residential plans propose converting the mall’s parking lot that backs up to Boulton Street into a 33,200-square-foot, four-story parking garage, two four-story apartment buildings, two residential courtyards and 12,000 square feet of “amenities.”
The elimination of mall parking will require that the total square footage of active retail space in the mall be reduced since parking will no longer be adequate. A note on the project’s site plans states that the mall’s Tennessee-based owner, CBL Associates and Properties, and the developer have agreed to keep 34,307 square feet of interior mall space vacant. Numerous stores at the mall, such as Gamestop, Macy’s and For Your Entertainment, along with the Greene Turtle Restaurant, have closed.
In Phase 1 of the redevelopment project, developers rebuilt the former Sears to accommodate an Amazon Fresh grocery store — making the proposed “high-end, organic” grocer the second grocery store on the property.
“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,” said Jon Meshel, senior vice president of CBL Properties. “As the owner of Harford Mall, we could not imagine a higher and better use for the former Macy’s parcel.”
If approved, SJC Ventures said it plans to incorporate pedestrian walkways that “allow greater connectivity in the space” and form a large mixed-use complex for residents and visitors, enabling the space to serve as a community hub.
SJC’s vision for the pedestrian streetscape and open-air shopping center in place of the Macy’s, is similar to the revised streetscape submitted by the housing project’s engineers, Frederick Ward and Associates, who used downtown Bel Air for inspiration for the residential streetscape.
Engineers with the firm proposed incorporating planters, flowers, benches and a variety of stamped concrete textures and colors to have the redevelopment match Bel Air’s identity. A year ago, the Bel Air Planning Commission unanimously accepted the residential streetscape plan.
The redevelopment project would “ … 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, Bel Air’s director of economic development.
The plans for Phase 3, the redevelopment of the Macy’s, are slated to be formally introduced to the Bel Air Planning Commission on June 5, according to Bel Air Mayor Paula Etting.
Have a news tip? Contact Matt Hubbard at mhubbard@baltsun.com, 443-651-0101 or @mthubb on X.
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