Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz
Owings Mill Announcement
November 10, 2011
Ladies and gentlemen, today is a great day for Baltimore County and a great day for Owings Mills.
For years, people have been coming up to me, as a Councilman and now as County Executive, asking “When is something going to happen at the Owings Mills Mall?” Well, folks – after great effort, the wait is over. It’s happening, and it’s happening now.
Transforming into a True Town Center
Today, we are taking a big step forward in transforming that Mall into a true Town Center. Baltimore County is pleased to announce that General Growth Properties and Kimco Realty, two of the biggest retail powerhouses in the country, are forming a joint venture partnership to redevelop and de-mall the Owings Mills Mall.
Transforming this location has been a priority of mine as soon as I became County Executive. I traveled 2,500 miles to meet with executives of General Growth Properties to tell them about the potential of Owings Mills. That over a half million people with average household incomes topping $82,000 now live within ten miles of the Owings Mills Mall, and thousands more that commute there for work everyday.
Great Place to Work and Do Business
And that Owings Mills has never been a more exciting place. Stevenson University recently expanded their 75-acre Owings Mills campus, attracting thousands of new students and visitors to their beautiful facilities and new stadium. T. Rowe Price, Care First, Toyota Financial Systems and Zurich America are just a few of the many companies that make Owings Mills such an attractive place to work and do business. And that as County Executive, I jump started the long awaited construction on the Metro Center at Owings Mills, with the largest branch of the Baltimore County Library and a new campus for the Community College of Baltimore.
The Owings Mills Mall has been an important retail center in Baltimore County for a quarter of a century. This redevelopment will make it viable for years to come and transform it into a true town center where the people of Owings Mills can gather together as a community.
Great Partnership
I can’t think of a better partnership to make it a reality. General Growth Properties and Kimco Realty are both national leaders in shopping center development and management. They each have longstanding roots here in Baltimore County. General Growth Properties’s portfolio here not only includes Owings Mills, but the Towson Town Center and White Marsh Mall. Kimco is North America’s largest owner and operator of neighborhood community shopping centers, with 15 centers in the County alone. Kimco's MidAtlantic headquarters has been located in Timonium for the past eight years.
Together, these companies have the track record, the relationships with national retailers, and the expertise to once again make Owings Mills Mall an exciting shopping destination. I thank Richard Pesin, John Charters, and James Whitcome from General Growth Properties as well as Tom Simmons, Geoffrey Glazer, and Stuart Cox from Kimco Realty for their commitment to this project and to this community. And most importantly, to the people of Owings Mills - congratulations. It’s Happening.
Now, it is my pleasure to introduce Richard Pesin, General Growth Properties’ Executive Vice President of Anchors, Development and Construction.
