Baltimore County put out the call to developers Thursday to submit proposals to transform Security Square Mall in Woodlawn.
The 1970’s-era mall, which has fallen on hard times, sits on prime real estate where Interstates 695 and 70 connect.
Baltimore County wants to hear from developers on how to transform Security Square into something more like Metro Centre at Owings Mills, with its mix of apartments, hotels, offices, restaurants and stores.
“Our selection will be based on a concept for redevelopment,” said Sameer Sidh, the county’s senior deputy administrative officer. “That will be part of the negotiation to make sure the future delivery of the project is consistent with that concept. We regulate development proposals as a county and so any proposed project will have to come back through the county for approval.”
Sidh said it’s possible Security Square Mall would remain open.
“We’re certainly open to that possibility,” Sidh said. “We’ll evaluate all proposals that come in, whether they involve closure of the mall or keeping the mall open for future operations.”
The county owns close to half of the 88 acre site. In 2022, with help from the state, it bought that land for $30 million. It’s working with the mall’s owner to bring on a developer.
Developers need to submit their proposals by December 22 and the county hopes to pick a winning bidder in the Spring.
In a statement County Executive Kathy Klausmeier said, “This is a reimagining of what’s possible when government, community, and private partners come together to create something transformational.”
One thing Metro Centre has that Security Square does not is access to a subway station. Metro Centre makes the point on its website that it is “the only transit-oriented development in Baltimore County.”
If the on-again-off-again-on-again Red Line light rail is ever built, it could have a stop adjacent to Security Square. Sidh said the development can happen without it.
“Certainly the project is enhanced by the availability of future rail transit, but that being said there are a lot of other factors that support redevelopment at this site,” Sidh said.
Besides being where two interstates meet, the site is zoned to be a town center. It comes with tax breaks for the developer. One of Baltimore County’s biggest employers, the Social Security Administration, is nearby.
When the county held a series of community meetings about Security Square, nearby residents said they wanted green spaces. Sidh says that will be part of the development.
Sidh said, “We heard an interest in a destination location where folks can live, work and play. That includes residential, that includes building a road network out that improves public safety and that improves some greening of the space.”
