MCB Real Estate is inching closer towards the redevelopment of Harborplace and the Inner Harbor.

This month, a contractor for the Baltimore-based company filed an application with the city for construction permits on several parcels along and near Baltimore’s waterfront. The applications — which are in various stages of review by city agencies — offer some new details about the MCB’s plans.

The permits appear to be primarily for site work, which typically means demolishing existing structures and preparing the land for construction. The permit descriptions specifically include grading, paving, building retaining walls and installing underground utilities.

They also say there are plans to build two pergolas and a “crab splash pad.”

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The permits have a proposed start date of Oct. 15, though it’s unclear if work will actually begin that day.

McKeldin Plaza, West Shore Park, the promenade and, of course, Harborplace are all located in the affected parcels.

MCB spokesperson Alexandra Hughes said the developer will sequence the construction in a way that preserves public access to amenities such as the Maryland Science Center and the National Aquarium.

“We are pulling permits and approaching the start of the construction process,” Hughes said in a statement.

Dan Taylor, president of the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, said his organization has been working closely with MCB and the city to ensure that pedestrian pathways and bike paths remain open at all times.

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“With a project this large and in such a central location, one of the most important pieces is making sure that people can move around and through the Harbor,” Taylor said in a statement. “It will always be possible to walk from one side of the Inner Harbor to the other during construction.”

The total proposed area affected by construction totals more than 17 acres, according to the permit applications, and the work is expected to cost about $132 million.

While the land covered by the permits is almost entirely owned by Baltimore, MCB is a private company, and it has released few details about how it plans to finance this megaproject.

In 2023, the developer estimated that the entire buildout would cost $900 million, with $400 million coming from the government for improvements to public areas. Those plans included two residential towers, a commercial building with a sloping roof, an office building, a park and more.

As of the summer, the state legislature had earmarked $65 million, and MCB had yet to secure financing for the rest of the project.

Hughes did not answer questions about the status of financing.