33 replies to this topic

[zt456]

Below is the article from the Towson Times on the mall's expansion...

General Growth Properties, the owner of Towson Town Center, is planning to expand the four-level regional mall with additional retail and restaurant space, including a relocated Crate & Barrel and three new restaurants.

The new construction will make the fortress-like Dulaney Valley Road side of the 973,000-square-foot mall appear more inviting and pedestrian friendly, according to David Lazas, General Growth's development coordinator.

Lazas declined to reveal the cost of the project, but he said it would be a "significant investment."

The timetable for construction is uncertain, he said, but General Growth is working with the Baltimore architectural firm of Burgess & Carter Inc. and presented a concept plan to Baltimore County development review officials Monday.

The project has three goals:

* To provide more of a street front for the center.

* To make the center easier to navigate.

* To improve the tenant mix on levels 1 and 2.

The site of the expansion now features a surface parking lot at the corner of Dulaney Valley Road and Fairmount Avenue and the Mobil gas station just south of it, as well as a six-story parking garage.

The plan calls for the removal of the gas station and the surface parking lot and an expansion of the garage to provide more parking and retail space.

The garage was built with 15-foot ceilings with the idea it might accommodate retail stores in the future, Lazas said.

The end result will be a new streetscape anchored by a large Crate & Barrel store, which will move from its fourth-level location and expand.

The streetscape will feature greenery, a glass atrium entrance into the mall and sidewalks 12 to 14 feet wide, possibly with thick posts placed next to the roadway to increase pedestrian safety.

The streetscape also will feature three high-end, family-dining restaurants.

"Getting the liquor licenses will definitely be a challenge, but we know restaurants want to be here," Lazas said.

Though General Growth will displace 178 parking spaces with the new construction, the company will create 509 new spaces, for a net gain of 331 spaces.

"We're excited about the project," said Lazas, whose company is a real estate investment trust that owns or operates more than 220 shopping malls nationwide. "It's just a natural evolution of the mall."

After reviewing the plan, Mike Ertel, vice president of the Greater Towson Council of Community Associations, said he was pleased.

"It will give the mall appeal for residents," he said. "Crate & Barrel is popular, and the restaurants are desperately needed."

The new construction "will give it a town feeling instead of an uninviting concrete wall," he said.

[StevenRocks]

Sounds like a smart plan.  Towson will be an even nicer mall than it is.

[zt456]

I wish the management would be a little more productive on this expansion plan and provide some more updated information. The mall has some vacancies and there are plenty of retailers not in the mall that could do well there. We definately should have places like H&M, Forever 21, J. Crew, and Steve Madden. I'd also really like to see an Armani Exchange, Club Monaco, and Ruehl too. This would really help Towson dominate the retail market and stand out from/be more exclusive then the other malls.

Edited by zac88t, 05 April 2006 - 12:56 PM.

[StevenRocks]

I think if sales remain strong, Towson can and will have all those stores.

[Archon]

This sounds like a good project.  The mall in Towson has to be the most incredibly pedestrian-hostile place I have ever been.  A maze of garages with no visible pedestrian entrance anywhere, you have to follow a "yellow-brick-road" through Barnes and Noble to even get in there from York Road.  After you dodge the cars cruising the garage for spaces and use the creepy wet smelly stairs, you finally get in the building.  I really hope that they try at least a little to integrate the place with the rest of Towson

[zt456]

Fila and H&M are coming soon, new article on expansion plans.

Edited by zac88t, 17 April 2006 - 04:16 PM.

[urbanvb]

Thanks for the info but please list your source. Also, you may post the most important part of the article but not in its entirety. Please edit your article above.

[zt456]

Quote

Towson, Maryland
The redevelopment project of the four-level Towson Town Center will add 95,000 square feet to this Baltimore-area shopping mecca.  Upon completion, shoppers will be welcomed with an impressive array of retail and restaurant options.  Enhancements to the mall will be rolled out in three phases – starting with the food court – with little inconvenience to customers throughout the process.
• Completion Date: August 2008
• New Retailers: H&M, Metropark, Sephora, Urban Outfitters, Banana Republic and Pottery Barn

http://www.ggpcenter...cess/index.html

[Baltimore]

Current store directory - as provided on the Towson Town Center Website:
http://www.towsontow...asp?mallid=1641

[bmorescottamanda]

Baltimore, on Sep 24 2006, 06:09 AM, said:

Current store directory - as provided on the Towson Town Center Website:
http://www.towsontow...asp?mallid=1641

Thanks for the link looks great  

[Baltimore]

bmorescottamanda, on Sep 24 2006, 09:36 AM, said:

Thanks for the link looks great  

You are certainly welcome.

Here are a couple of recent photos of Towson Town Center - on a site (currently being developed by a colleague) featuring a photo tour of Towson: http://towson.shownb...r-pictures.html

[zt456]

I read somewhere that in the expansion there will be 3 new restaurants, a stand alone Crate & Barrel store, and a Brooks Brothers.

[zt456]

Anyone have any other imformation on this project?

[zt456]

J. Crew is coming soon to the mall.

[TheFutureIsNow]

Anyone have any renderings? I really like their renovation of the Natick Mall and the Neiman Marcus.

[zt456]

According to General Growth's property newsletter new stores/restaurants coming to the mall are

• Pottery Barn
  
• P.F. Chang's China Bistro
  
• The Cheesecake Factory
  
• Metropark
  
• Levi's
  
• G by Guess

Edited by zac88t, 31 May 2007 - 08:45 PM.

[zt456]

From being at the mall a couple of days ago I noticed some new stores or stores coming soon. Spring Shoes (a division of Aldo) is one of the new stores for the first level of the mall. Across from Spring, a Canadian clothing retailer called Garage is coming soon. Level 2 has new retailers opened such as G by Guess and Metropark with "coming soon" signs for stores like Fossil, Levi's, and bebe Sport. Teavana has also recently opened on level 3 by the food court. TTC's website also claims that Nordstrom is having a grand re-opening event on October 27th for their $4 million make over but the level I walked through looked the same as always.

Edited by zt456, 10 October 2007 - 03:31 PM.

[zt456]

Men's and women's clothier The Buckle is opening soon on level 1.

[zt456]

Sephora & Forever XXI "a new concept from Forever 21" will open this year.

Link

Edited by zt456, 29 January 2008 - 02:35 PM.

[zt456]

According to another forum site, it is rumored that Tiffany & Co. will be coming to TTC but I couldn't see that happening unless it's a replacement for the large upscale jewelry store already in the mall (Radcliffe). Also, the Rainforest Cafe is closing which will leave a 17,000 square foot space available for new stores/restaurants.

Edited by zt456, 30 January 2008 - 05:52 PM.