Owings Mills May Get Wegmans, Mall Revamp

Although the Reisterstown Improvement Association focuses on Main Street, Owings Mills was the hot topic Tuesday night, thanks to  Baltimore County Councilwoman Vicki Almond addressing potential plans for revamping the and the fate of the plant.

While nothing is set in stone, Kimco Realty may take over the mall and turn it into an open air shopping center with ‘medium box’ stores, keeping Macy’s and JCPenney, Almond said. There is also discussion about bringing a Wegmans to town, either at the Solo Cup plant or somewhere at the mall or , she said.

“This is our shot,” Almond said.

The Solo Cup plant was recently sold to Greenberg Gibbons Commercial and Vanguard Commercial Property Development, according to the Baltimore Business Journal. Greenberg Gibbons, based in Owings Mills, developed the Hunt Valley Towne Centre as well as the Annapolis Towne Centre at Parole. CEO Brian Gibbons said Wegmans is a possibility for the Solo site, Almond said.

“Everybody feels if we had a Wegmans somewhere in the area…it would be a good attraction,” Almond said.

Greenberg Gibbons would be responsible for improvements to Painters Mill Road as well as the intersection of Painters Mill and Reisterstown Road.

Almond has partnered with Councilman Ken Oliver to stay abreast of the development at the Solo Cup plant, Owings Mills Mall and Owings Mills Metro Centre.

“Owings Mills is going to be the hub,” Almond said. “There is going to be a Main Street in Owings Mills.”

While Owings Mills development has been in the works for more than a decade, Almond said Stevenson University’s recent expansions have accelerated the process.

She said she is urging and helping developers meet with all the community groups in the Owings Mills area, and aims to keep the community involved in the entire process.

“Everybody is looking at the quality of life in Owings Mills,” she said.