Bel Air Planning Commission approves Phase 3 site plan for Bel Air Marketplace, with conditions on traffic, landscaping and architecture

The Bel Air Planning Commission unanimously approved a conditioned preliminary site plan and related approvals July 17 for Phase 3 of the Bel Air Marketplace, the mixed-use redevelopment of the former Hartford Mall property at 600 Baltimore Pike.

The vote covers approval of a Phase 3 site plan, a landscape plan and the special-development determination required by town code; the commission’s action allows construction of an 82,924-square-foot commercial phase that is part of a multi-phase redevelopment that also includes previously approved residential work.

The approval follows detailed staff review and a multi-hour hearing in which planning staff and the applicant’s team discussed pedestrian connections, truck routing, crosswalk design, dumpster screening, landscaping islands and building materials. Kevin Small, planning staff, told the commission, “I won't go through this whole staff report because you've seen it before,” but highlighted outstanding technical items, including coordination with the Maryland State Highway Administration and final traffic comments from town and county consultants. Christopher Mudd, attorney for the applicant, said the team was prepared “to implement the red lines as shown on the plan,” and Matt Robinson, representing the property owner SJC, said the owner hires local professional management to maintain the site.

Why it matters: The Phase 3 approval permits demolition of part of the existing mall and construction that will reshape a high‑visibility commercial corridor. The commission attached conditions intended to protect pedestrian safety, coordinate utilities and public‑safety monitoring, and preserve landscape screening as the project phases into later development.

Most important facts

- What was approved: Preliminary site plan for Phase 3 of the Bel Air Marketplace (commercial buildings including a grocer), a landscape plan, and the special‑development determination required by town code. The planning commission approved the applicant’s option without adding red brick to the grocer building’s façade.

- What the site will include: The applicant requested site and landscape approval for 82,924 square feet of new commercial space as part of the mixed‑use center. Planning staff said the redevelopment will demolish about 172,228 square feet (mostly the Macy’s building) and that the total proposed building area after work will be about 407,033 square feet. The existing Hartford Mall building area was cited as 496,337…