History
Owings Mills Mall was developed by The Rouse Company and opened in July 1986 as an upscale mall. The area was identified as a primary growth center in 1979 by Baltimore County and originally intended to be built around a lake. The Rouse Company planned to develop the mall and surrounding area similar to its town center project in Columbia, Maryland. Environmental regulations changed during the time between the development of Columbia and Owings Mills and the Army Corps of Engineers concluded the lake would have a negative environmental impact. The mall was built, but the area does not include the waterfront focal point initially planned.
Owings Mills Mall is also located within close proximity to the Owings Mills Metro Subway Station. When the Baltimore Metro Subway first opened to Owings Mills in 1987, though shuttle bus service was provided, a long walk was possible along a trail between the two locations. In 1992, a woman was murdered while walking on this trail. As a result of safety concerns, the trail was closed. Shuttle bus service had been eliminated several months before the murder took place, and only regular bus service at lower frequencies was now available. After the closure of the trail, a walk between the mall and metro became impractical for most, thereby requiring the use of regular bus service. In 1997, bus service between the two locations was improved. The ease of public transportation allows visitors from inner city urban areas to get to and from this mall much more easily than other suburban malls in the Baltimore Metropolitan area.
The mall was quite popular throughout the mid-late eighties and well into the 90's. Exclusive and upscale stores such as Saks, William Sonoma, and Benetton were tenants. As a result of the renovations at other local Baltimore area suburban malls Towson Town Center and The Mall in Columbia, crime committed in and around the mall, and the shift in the socio-economic climate of the community surrounding the mall, Owings Mills Mall steadily lost business since that time.
Owings Mills Mall received growing competition as other local malls have expanded. Towson Town Center added Nordstrom in 1991 and that was the final blow to Owings Mills Mall upscale status. The Rouse Company purchased Towson Town Center in 1998. The Rouse Company and General Growth Properties have continued to promote Towson Town Center and The Mall in Columbia as premier malls, while leaving Owings Mills Mall stuck in the middle.
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