Harford Mall in Bel Air is coasting toward what looks like a quiet final act. Once a Friday night staple, the aging complex is down to only a handful of open shops after Spencer's closed on Sunday, leaving regulars swapping memories instead of shopping bags. Even with the thinning roster, there is still no official date for when the mall will finally shut its doors.
Redevelopment Pitch And Mixed Messages
Last year, CBL Properties announced a plan to team up with SJC Ventures to reinvent the former Macy's footprint as Derby Place, a roughly 48,000 square foot mix of boutiques, restaurants, and amenities, with local coverage tying potential grocery anchors to the project. As of Monday, reporters counted just seven stores still operating and spoke with shoppers wrestling with both worry and nostalgia. One regular summed it up bluntly: "Everybody has already said goodbye pretty much." The outlet also reported that it reached out to SJC, CBL, and Bel Air officials and did not receive responses, according to CBS Baltimore.
SJC Leasing Brochure Shows Different Anchor
On its Derby Place project page, SJC posts a site plan and leasing brochure that brand the redevelopment as "Derby Place" and list "Organic Foods Market" as the anchor on the layout. The same brochure pegs the start of construction for the fourth quarter of this year, according to SJC Ventures.
Timeline Still In Flux
Harford Mall management told reporters that "no date has been determined" for an official closure. One employee at a remaining store said their lease runs through 2027, a detail that suggests some shops could keep operating while crews begin work elsewhere on the property. Those details were reported by CBS Baltimore.
Anchor Loss Set The Stage
The exit of Macy's and other anchors helped clear the way for redevelopment talks. Macy's announced a wave of closures in January 2025 that included the Bel Air store and sped up the march of empty storefronts, according to wave of closures. Across the region, that kind of anchor loss has often signaled the start of mall conversions, leaving local officials and developers to hash out timing, tenant mix, and traffic impacts.
What To Watch
If SJC's schedule holds and construction begins in the fourth quarter, parts of the mall could be reworked before a full shutdown. With no firm closing date and tenants locked into staggered leases, though, the transformation is likely to be uneven and phased, as outlined by SJC Ventures. For now, shoppers and store workers are stuck in limbo, hoping for fresh storefronts while waiting to see when the old routine finally disappears.
