A public-record guide for Bel Air
What is open, what is being demolished, what the Town has approved, and which tenants are actually confirmed.
Town phase numbers and developer project names describe the same property in different ways.
An August 21 field visit found most of the former Macy's building demolished. Excavators were still working through rubble and debris inside the fenced zone, so demolition and cleanup are not complete. The adjoining Harford Mall entrance and the interior mall remain standing and accessible. This matches the Town's announced sequence: disconnect the former Macy's from the rest of Harford Mall, then take the building down.
Redevelopment directory
Six Town phases, drawn from the approved site plans so the roads, the lot shape, and the buildings sit where they really are. Hover, focus, or tap a phase to light it up here and in the cards below.
One property, three naming systems: the Town uses Phases I through VI, the developers use names such as Shops at Harford Mall and Derby Place, and ownership parcels do not always match either label.
About the map: the road frame, lot shape, north orientation, and building positions are drawn from the SJC Ventures master plan filed with the Town, the Town phase site plans, and the recorded resubdivision plat. Shapes are simplified for reading and are not survey lines. Traffic counts come from the developer's April 23, 2026 leasing plan.
Plans and permits
Every entry separates what the Town has recorded from what the developer is only aiming for.
Town recordOpen and accessible, including during the demolition next door.
Town recordDemolition of the former Macy's underway since July 22. The Town estimated about two months of work.
Town recordSite plan approval runs to January 4, 2027.
Applicant estimate, Sept. 2025Construction start discussed for 2027.
Developer targetSpring 2028 opening, including the grocery store.
Applicant estimate, Sept. 2025Completion discussed for 2028.
Approved. Waiting on final plan conditions and permit activity.
Approved. A traffic impact analysis must be approved before a building permit.
Proposed. No posted online approval record found through August 21, 2026.
Solid entries come from Town of Bel Air records. Dashed entries are dates the developer or applicant has put forward, which are marketing and planning targets rather than approvals. Approval is not construction, and a target is not a commitment.
The former Sears side is open as Shops at Harford Mall, fronting North Tollgate Road. The Town says its shops and restaurants remain accessible during demolition.
Tenant and access changes while demolition runs next door.
The Town-approved plan contains 249 apartments and an on-site parking deck along Boulton Street. The approval was extended to January 4, 2027. The developer's own August 5, 2026 site plan markets the same building as 250 future residences.
Building permit plans had not been submitted as of March 5, 2026.
A 2027 construction start and a 2028 completion, per the applicant in September 2025.
The approved plan replaces the former Macy's and part of the mall with the main Derby Place retail area at the north end of the site, facing Veterans Memorial Highway, including a grocery store. The Planning Commission approved its site and landscape plans on January 8, 2026. Site demolition has been underway since July 22, 2026. By August 21, most of the former Macy's building had been demolished, but excavators were still working through rubble and debris.
Revisions to the site and landscape plans, for an increase in the size of two buildings, went before the Planning Commission on August 6, 2026.
A spring 2028 opening, as the developer markets it.
The Town approved two additional retail buildings on the Boulton Street frontage in January 2026, subject to conditions. A revision raising the pair to 11,840 square feet, Building 400 at 6,840 and Building 500 at 5,000, went before the Planning Commission on August 6, 2026.
Minutes for the August 6 meeting. Staff recommended approving the revision; no minutes were posted as of August 21.
The Town approved a 2,725-square-foot branch with a drive-through next to Phase I on the North Tollgate Road frontage, subject to conditions.
An approved traffic impact analysis, which is required before a building permit.
The proposal would replace much of the remaining interior mall with three buildings totaling 43,209 square feet, next to the two existing shops buildings that stay and front Baltimore Pike.
A posted approval record. None was found online through August 21, 2026, and the August 6 Planning Commission agenda carried no Phase VI item.
Named tenants
Signed means the tenant appears in current Derby Place leasing material. Announced is less certain. Canceled means an older plan did not proceed. For the tenants that came before, see the store list.
Shown in current Derby Place leasing material, and shaded as signed on the developer's August 5, 2026 site plan.
IIIDerby PlaceRetail coreShown in current Derby Place leasing material.
IIIDerby PlaceRetail coreShown in current Derby Place leasing material.
IIIDerby PlaceRetail coreAdded to the leasing page since the August 1 check. Shaded as signed on the developer's August 5, 2026 site plan, in Building 400 at the Boulton Street corner. The Town counts Building 400 in Phase IV.
IVDerby PlaceOutparcelsAdded to the leasing page since the August 1 check, placed on the developer's site plan in the building west of the grocery anchor.
IIIDerby PlaceRetail corePatch reported the announcement in June. It has since appeared in the leasing material, and the developer's August 5, 2026 site plan shades Building 500, at 5,000 square feet, as signed. The Town counts Building 500 in Phase IV.
IVDerby PlaceOutparcelsThe current SJC Ventures site plan lists Gloss Nail Bar in suite 630 among the Derby Place tenants.
IIIDerby PlaceRetail coreProposed for the former Sears space. It did not proceed, and the Shops at Harford Mall opened with other tenants.
IShops at Harford MallFormer SearsNewest first
Developer dates stay labeled as targets, never as schedule.
Getting around
What remains open, what is fenced, and which traffic conditions still stand between an approval and a building permit. The store list marks which individual stores are still trading.
Direct links
Town records control approvals and unit counts. Current developer material controls branding, leasing claims, renderings, and target dates.
Two reels
See what is there now, how the demolition zone is laid out, and what Derby Place is supposed to become.
Equipment and fencing were in place July 26, on the north side, which still looked like this as of August 1.
Photo: Scott Trice, July 26, 2026
Steel framing, roof decking, and interior partitions are exposed above a fresh rubble pile on the east side.
Photo: Scott Trice, August 1, 2026
The retained Harford Mall entrance stands at left; most of the former Macy's footprint is now open ground and rubble.
Photo: Scott Trice, August 13, 2026
The wide view shows open ground and low rubble across most of the former Macy's footprint, with demolition equipment still working.
Photo: Scott Trice, August 21, 2026
Excavators work through twisted metal and debris immediately beside the retained mall entrance.
Photo: Scott Trice, August 21, 2026
The southeast view places the operating mall beside the fenced Derby Place demolition area.
Photo: Scott Trice, August 21, 2026
The Town's notice marks the former Macy's demolition area and the access expected to remain open.
Source: Town of Bel Air, June 30, 2026
The rendering shows the developer's concept for the grocery anchor and adjoining retail.
Source: Derby Place, developer rendering
A second view shows the developer's concept for the landscaped edge behind the retail buildings.
Source: Derby Place, developer rendering
This view faces the Whole Foods storefront and adjoining retail from the planned parking area.
Source: Derby Place, developer rendering
