I lived in Bowie for over 40 years and the transformation of Hilltop Plaza has been good and bad.
The plaza looks good and has been maintained well. It has gone through a couple of face lifts and management here has kept up with the times. The 7-11 might be the only original shop in the place. The Chinese restaurant has been there for a while, but I don't recollect if it is an original shop.
Having said that, a number of grocery stores have come and gone. Target and Track Auto are no more. The Advance Auto is the 3rd replacement in the plaza. One of my favorite restaurant, the Bowie Inn is no more. Sadly. Outback has replaced it and that is not the same. Marty Cards is gone (which was originally in Belair Shopping Plaza). Planet Fitness is there and the back has some shops, but not necessarily the popular ones.
Some idiot designed the parking lot. Only two entrances that funnel cars. The parking lot, a maze trap, was redesigned and once you get in, the traffic pattern is bad. A number of shops built in the middle of the parking lot also reduces the parking spaces. Looks like management wants the maximum number of shops in a limited space and didn't consider the consequence of really terrible parking. read more