New Merriweather District Leasing Map offers hints of future tenants

Every couple months, the leasing map for Merriweather District is updated on the HR Retail website. And each time it's updated, the changes to the map offer clues on what's in the pipeline. The map was updated most recently on January 17, 2022. The prior update was October 4, 2021. While I wouldn't call any of the updates to the map major breaking news, there are plenty of modifications for detectives like me to seek insights on what's to come.

Here's an image of the January 17, 2022 version (<--- click this link for a high-resolution PDF).

And here's an image of the October 4, 2021 version (<--- click this link for a high-resolution PDF).

So, what's different? Here are my insights:

• One of the biggest changes is that the retail spaces in Marlow are shown on the map for the first time. It's amazing how quickly this building has been going up! I wouldn't put too much stock in the labels on the map ("retail", "restaurant", etc.) at this point as these spaces are all available. There is 31,687 square feet of retail spaces available on the north and west side of Marlow, currently split over 11 retail spaces, By comparison, Juniper has just over 55,000 sqft of retail space split across 19 spaces.

• Peter Chang and Toastique are now both labeled. Peter Chang in the corner space of Juniper closest to Busboys & Poets. Toastique in the standalone building at the far end of Colorburst Park.

• The size, shape, and/or lease status of the four prime restaurant/retail spots (B130, B135, B140, B150) in Juniper near the splashpad alongside Colorburst Park have all changed. I'd wager this means that leases are close for these locations. Additionally, both corner spots on Merriweather Drive (B110.A and B100.B) are "at lease".

• Recall my Facebook note from December that, according to a Baltimore Business Journal article, more leases for Juniper will be announced in early 2022 for concepts that include sushi, a steakhouse, pizza, Mexican, BBQ, and coffee. That's six concepts for 6 blue "at lease" spaces. Hmm...

• If past practice is any indication, Howard Hughes Corporation will likely announce a group of new tenants together via a single news release through the Baltimore Business Journal. I'd imagine the next announcement will happen soon and include some, if not all, of these concepts. Any guesses?

• The available 2,260 space (B165) that was labeled "retail" next to YogaSix is now "at lease" with the label changed to "fitness". Conversely, the 3,915 sqft spot B120 that had been labeled "boutique fitness" is now back to an available retail space. Perhaps this fitness place switched locations? In any regards, I wouldn't be surprised this fitness place is part of the next announcement batch.

• The October map had the ground floor space in 6100 Merriweather Drive labeled "Daycare", but now that is back to available.