Homeland's Side of York Road Is Being Rebuilt Around Places to Gather
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
"We're trying to keep everything brighter and lighter," said Soon Park, a partner at York Investment Inc. In September, she told the York Road Improvement District what her firm plans for Homeland Shopping Center in the 5400 block. The firm bought the center in 2024. The plans include new awnings, new lighting, better landscaping, a new security camera system and new paint on the siding. The paint is described as "a shade of green that will be the same or very similar to the color of Belvedere Square."
That color choice fits a wider pattern. Homeland's stretch of York Road had plenty of restaurant turnover in 2026. The more lasting investment went into spaces built for people to gather outdoors, and most of them follow the model Belvedere Square has run for years.
Homeland Shopping Center has been on York Road "since the middle of the last century," as the York Road Improvement District's September 9, 2026 update puts it. According to Park, the two-building center is "100% occupied," and two more tenants are on the way: a hair salon and a Southern-themed restaurant serving crepes and fried chicken. The update doesn't name either business or give opening dates. For now they're plans, not storefronts.
Many of the planned changes are on the sidewalk. The list includes more sidewalk plantings, a property management company to handle litter, and closer coordination with the Homeland Association. Park also said the owners are asking the city to trim, and possibly replace, the trees out front that are breaking up the concrete. The goal for the center is to make it a better place to walk past and spend time at, which goes beyond a new look for the strip.
The Homeland Association is holding its 2026 annual meeting on Tuesday, October 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Church of the Redeemer. The meeting is mainly in person, with a virtual option for watching. Since the center's owners have named the Association as a partner, the meeting is the closest public forum for the shopping center plans.
Belvedere Square at 529 E. Belvedere Ave. shows why other properties along the corridor are copying it. Its main draw is an evening market. Summer Sounds started on June 19 this year, with Friday concerts and a 6 to 9 p.m. open-air market. Food and drink came from tenants including Atwater's, Neopol, Kesh & Fresh, Pono Taco, Bonjour Crêpes and Grand Cru Market Bar. Bonjour Crêpes is one of the newer tenants. Jamal Daftani opened it in October 2024, serving sweet and savory crêpes, rolled ice cream and bubble tea.
The Square's official calendar doesn't list a fall concert series. Its program now runs through smaller dated events:
Each of these uses the same setup as Summer Sounds: vendors, music and an open space for people to gather.
The clearest sign that the corridor now has more than one gathering place is the Halloween schedule. Two events land on back-to-back evenings at two different York Road addresses.
| Date | Place | Time | What's there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, October 28 | Govans Farmers Market, 5104 York Road | Market hours, 3 to 6 p.m. | Trunk or Treat |
| Thursday, October 29 | Belvedere Square, 529 E. Belvedere Ave. | 5 to 8 p.m. | Trick or Treat, Common Tone, costume contest, MD SPCA kitten van |
A few years ago, the Square would have been the obvious default for the second night. The Govans Farmers Market is now in its 15th season and has built its own calendar.
The Govans Farmers Market is hosted by Loyola University Maryland's Center for Neighborhood Resilience. It runs Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m., June 3 through November 4, 2026, at 5104 York Road. New this season is Storytime at the Market, from 4:30 to 5 p.m. The remaining dates on the season's special-events list are Trunk or Treat on October 28 and the End-of-Season Celebration on November 4.
The building behind the market is getting attention as well. Loyola received $267,000 for capital upgrades at 5104 York Road. The work covers new storefront windows and doors, exterior cladding, lighting, a public water-bottle filling station, and outdoor outlets with USB ports. The site is part of a larger neighborhood-resilience effort that includes a shared space for the community and the university. These items serve people standing outside: water for market visitors, power for vendors, light after dark. The grant is an award, and the work isn't finished. Once it is, the Wednesday market will have a building designed around it.
The project most closely modeled on Belvedere Square hasn't been built yet. The Bellona Triangle at 5622 York Road is set for a $310,000 makeover overseen by the York Road Improvement District. The plan adds lighting, shrubbery, benches and a raised deck for pop-up markets or performances. The Improvement District's 2026 Impact Report said groundbreaking was "planned for Q3 2026." That quarter ended on September 30. The report gives a target, not a start date, and the district's events page doesn't list an opening event for the site.
"This is an opportunity to bridge those divides with a world-class signature outdoor space that can be used by, and enjoyed by, all of the surrounding communities," said Sam Storey, the district's executive director, when the design was announced in November 2025. The design is a small public version of a market stage. Once the deck is built, the corridor will have three outdoor gathering points: Belvedere Square, the Bellona Triangle and the market lot at 5104 York Road.
Restaurants have been turning over against this backdrop of public-space investment. The biggest change was Heritage Smokehouse. George and Jenny Marsh opened it on York Road in 2021, and it became known for artisanal sausages, brisket and cakes. The owners chose not to renew their lease at 5800 York Road, and The Banner reported a planned closing date of August 8. Heritage plans to continue in Jacksonville as a grab-and-go barbecue kiosk with John Brown General & Butchery, without indoor seating. The Banner reported a September target, but Heritage's own site says an opening date is still to come for the new location at The Four Corners. No new tenant has been announced for 5800 York Road.
Two newer businesses opened this summer. The York Road Improvement District's August 5 newsletter announced a grand opening for Munchies Café at 5911 York Road on Saturday, August 1. The same newsletter listed Rasberry Moments as open at 4646 York Road, with hours Wednesday through Sunday. When Rasberry Moments was announced in June, its planned menu included cinnamon rolls, funnel cakes, acai bowls and deli sandwiches. Chicken Run is a longtime business on the corridor. It got new signage and a refreshed façade, and its manager told the Improvement District that customer traffic has gone up since. Façade money has been tied to visible results like this. The district's 2025 update had already named Homeland Shopping Center as its next major focus.
The Senator Theatre at 5904 York Road anchors the north end of the stretch. This month it's showing Manhunter on October 7 at 7 p.m., October 11 at 10 a.m. and October 12 at 4 p.m., and another film opens Thursday, October 8. Between the Senator and the market at 5104 York Road, the Bellona Triangle is the next site due for its deck.
We follow changes along York Road closely at The Baldwin & Griffin Group, including the Homeland Shopping Center makeover and the Bellona Triangle construction timeline. If you'd like to talk through what these projects might mean for your block or your plans, get in touch.
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