As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 29, 2001
                         Registration No. 333- _________
===============================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
                               -------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                               -------------------

                              THE MACERICH COMPANY
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
                               -------------------

                 Maryland                                      95-4448705
      (State or other jurisdiction of                       (I.R.S. Employer
      incorporation or organization)                       Identification No.)

                       401 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 700,
                         Santa Monica, California 90401
                    (Address of principal executive offices)

                              THE MACERICH COMPANY
                               2000 INCENTIVE PLAN

                            (Full title of the plan)
                               -------------------

                                Richard A. Bayer
             Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
                              The Macerich Company
                             401 Wilshire Boulevard
                         Santa Monica, California 90401
                     (Name and address of agent for service)

   Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service: (310) 394-6000

                               -------------------


                          CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maximum Maximum Title of Amount offering aggregate Amount of securities to be price offering registration to be registered registered per unit price fee - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common Stock, $.01 par value 3,400,000 $20.99(3) $71,366,000(3) $17,841.50(3) shares(1)(2) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) This Registration Statement covers, in addition to the number of shares of Common Stock stated above, options and other rights to purchase or acquire the shares of Common Stock covered by the Prospectus, and pursuant to Rule 416(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), an indeterminate number of shares, options and rights, which by reason of certain events specified in The Macerich Company 2000 Incentive Plan (the "Plan") may become subject to the Plan. (2) Each share is accompanied by a Preferred Share Purchase Right pursuant to the Registrant's Agreement dated November 10, 1998, with First Chicago Trust Company of New York as rights agent. (3) Pursuant to Rule 457(h) of the Securities Act, the maximum offering price, per share and in the aggregate, and the registration fee were calculated based upon the average of the high and low prices of the Common Stock on March 22, 2001 as reported on the New York Stock Exchange and published in the Western Edition of the Wall Street Journal. The Exhibit Index for this Registration Statement is at page 9. 1 PART I INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS The documents containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8 (plan information and registrant information) will be sent or given to employees as specified by Securities Act Rule 428(b)(1). Such documents need not be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Securities Act Rule 424. These documents, which include the statement of availability required by Item 2 of Form S-8, and the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Form S-8 (Part II hereof), taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act. 2 PART II INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE The following documents of The Macerich Company (the "Company") filed with the Commission are incorporated herein by reference: (a) The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2000; (b) The description of the Company's Common Stock contained in its Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission on March 4, 1994, as amended on Form 8-K dated August 5, 1994, and any other amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description; and (c) The description of the Company's Preferred Share Purchase Rights contained in its Registration Statement on Form 8-A, dated November 13, 1998, and any other amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description. All reports and definitive proxy or information statements filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document which also is incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement. ITEM 4. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES Not Applicable. ITEM 5. INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL Not Applicable. 3 ITEM 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS The Maryland General Corporations Law ("MGCL") permits a corporation formed in Maryland to include in its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages except for liability resulting from (i) active and deliberate dishonesty established by a final judgment as being material to that cause of action or (ii) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services. The Company's charter (the "Charter") has incorporated such a provision which limits such liability to the fullest extent permitted by the MGCL. The Charter requires the Company to indemnify its present and former officers and directors, whether serving the Company or at its request another entity, and to pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding to the maximum extent permitted from time to time by the laws of Maryland. The Charter provides that the indemnification rights are non-exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled. The MGCL permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that: (i) the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (a) was committed in bad faith or (b) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty, (ii) the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit, or (iii) in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. In addition, the MGCL requires the Company, as conditions to advancing expenses, to obtain (a) a written affirmation by the director or officer of his good faith belief that he has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the Company and (b) a written undertaking by him or on his behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the Company if it shall ultimately be determined that the standard of conduct was not met. The MGCL requires a corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which the Company's Charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he is made a party by reason of his service in that capacity. However, under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that a personal benefit was improperly received unless, in either case, a court orders indemnification and then only for expenses. The Company's bylaws (the "Bylaws") specify the procedures for indemnification and advance of expenses. The Partnership Agreement of the Company's operating partnership, The Macerich Partnership, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the "Operating Partnership"), also provides for indemnification of the Company and its officers and directors similar to that provided to officers and directors of the Company in the Charter, and includes limitations on the liability of the Company and its officers and directors to the Operating Partnership and its partners similar to those contained in the Charter. 4 The Company and the Operating Partnership have entered into indemnification agreements with certain of the Company's executive officers and directors. The indemnification agreements require, among other things, that the Company and the Operating Partnership indemnify the Company's officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law, and advance to the officers and directors all related reasonable expenses, subject to certain defenses. The Company and the Operating Partnership must also indemnify and advance all expenses incurred by officers and directors seeking to enforce their rights under the indemnification agreements, and cover officers and directors under the Company's directors' and officers' liability insurance. Although this form of indemnification agreement offers substantially the same scope of coverage afforded by provisions in the Charter and the Bylaws of the Company and the Partnership Agreement of the Operating Partnership, it provides greater assurance to directors and officers that indemnification will be available, because, as a contract, it cannot be modified unilaterally in the future by the Board of Directors, by the stockholders or by the partners of the Operating Partnership to eliminate the rights it provides. ITEM 7. EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED Not Applicable. ITEM 8. EXHIBITS See the attached Exhibit Index at page 9. ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS (a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement: (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act; (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement; and (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement; 5 PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. (b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the provisions described in Item 6 above, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. 6 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Santa Monica, State of California, on this 23rd day of March, 2001. THE MACERICH COMPANY By: /s/ Arthur M. Coppola ------------------------------------- Arthur M. Coppola President and Chief Executive Officer POWER OF ATTORNEY Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Arthur M. Coppola, Thomas E. O'Hern and Richard E. Bayer, or any one of them individually, his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full powers of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and any other documents in connection therewith, with the Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any one of them individually, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any one of them individually, or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated. SIGNATURE TITLE DATE --------- ----- ---- /s/ MACE SIEGEL Chairman of the Board March 23, 2001 - ------------------------- of Directors Mace Siegel /s/ DANA K. ANDERSON Vice Chairman of the March 23, 2001 - ------------------------- Board of Directors Dana K. Anderson 7 /s/ ARTHUR M. COPPOLA Director, President and March 23, 2001 - ------------------------- Chief Executive Officer Arthur M. Coppola (Principal Executive Officer) /s/ EDWARD C. COPPOLA Director, Executive March 23, 2001 - ------------------------- Vice President Edward C. Coppola /s/ JAMES S. COWNIE Director March 23, 2001 - ------------------------- James S. Cownie /s/ THEODORE S. HOCHSTIM Director March 23, 2001 - ------------------------- Theodore S. Hochstim /s/ FRED S. HUBBELL Director March 23, 2001 - ------------------------- Fred S. Hubbell /s/ WILLIAM P. SEXTON Director March 22, 2001 - ------------------------- William P. Sexton /s/ THOMAS E. O'HERN Executive Vice President, March 23, 2001 - ------------------------- Chief Financial Officer and Thomas E. O'Hern Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) 8 EXHIBIT INDEX Exhibit Number Description of Exhibit - ------- ---------------------- 4.1 The Macerich Company 2000 Incentive Plan.(1) 4.2 Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Agreement.(2) 4.3 The Macerich Company 2000 Cash Bonus/Restricted Stock and Stock Unit Award Program under the 2000 Incentive Plan (includes Form of Restricted Stock Award Agreement and Form of Stock Unit Award Agreement as Exhibits B and C thereto).(1) 5 Opinion of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP (opinion re: legality). 23.1 Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (Independent Accountants). 23.2 Consent of Counsel (included in Exhibit 5). 24 Power of Attorney (included in this Registration Statement at page 7). (1) Previously filed with the Commission and incorporated herein by this reference as Exhibit 10.33 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2000. (2) Previously filed with the Commission and incorporated herein by this reference as Exhibit 10.34 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2000. 9


EXHIBIT 5


                                                           March 27, 2001


The Macerich Company
Suite 700
401 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, California 90401


                  Re:      REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-8


Ladies and Gentlemen:

                  We have served as Maryland counsel to The Macerich Company, a
Maryland corporation (the "Company"), in connection with certain matters of
Maryland law arising out of the registration of up to 3,400,000 shares (the
"Shares") of common stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Company ("Common
Stock"), together with the Preferred Share Purchase Rights (as hereinafter
defined) attached thereto, covered by the above-referenced Registration
Statement (the "Registration Statement"), under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "1933 Act"). The Shares are to be issued by the Company pursuant to
The Macerich Company 2000 Incentive Plan (the "Plan"). As used herein,
"Preferred Share Purchase Rights" means the rights to purchase one one-hundredth
of a share of the Company's Series C Junior Participating Preferred Stock,
issued as a dividend to the holders of Common Stock, the terms of which are set
forth in a Rights Agreement, dated as of November 10, 1998 (the "Rights
Agreement"), between the Company and First Chicago Trust Company of New York, as
Rights Agent. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the
meanings given to them in the Registration Statement.

                  In connection with our representation of the Company, and as a
basis for the opinion hereinafter set forth, we have examined originals, or
copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the following
documents (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "Documents"):

                  1. The Registration Statement, and all amendments thereto,
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"), pursuant
to the 1933 Act;

                  2. The charter of the Company (the "Charter"), certified as of
a recent date by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland
(the "SDAT");

                  3. The Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company, certified
as of a recent date by an officer of the Company;



                  4. Resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the
Company relating to the adoption of the Plan and the issuance and registration
of the Shares, certified as of a recent date by an officer of the Company;

                  5. The Plan, certified as of a recent date by an officer of
the Company;

                  6. The Rights Agreement, certified as of a recent date by an
officer of the Company;

                  7. A certificate of the SDAT as to the good standing of the
Company, dated as of a recent date;

                  8. A certificate executed by the Secretary of the Company,
dated as of a recent date; and

                  9. Such other documents and matters as we have deemed
necessary or appropriate to express the opinion set forth below, subject to the
assumptions, limitations and qualifications stated herein.

                  In expressing the opinion set forth below, we have assumed the
following:

                  1. Each individual executing any of the Documents, whether on
behalf of such individual or another person, is legally competent to do so.

                  2. Each individual executing any of the Documents on behalf of
a party (other than the Company) is duly authorized to do so.

                  3. Each of the parties (other than the Company) executing any
of the Documents has duly and validly executed and delivered each of the
Documents to which such party is a signatory, and such party's obligations set
forth therein are legal, valid and binding and are enforceable in accordance
with all stated terms.

                  4. Any Documents submitted to us as originals are authentic.
The form and content of the Documents submitted to us as unexecuted drafts do
not differ in any respect relevant to this opinion from the form and content of
such Documents as executed and delivered. Any Documents submitted to us as
certified or photostatic copies conform to the original documents. All
signatures on all such Documents are genuine. All public records reviewed or
relied upon by us or on our behalf are true and complete. All representations,
warranties, statements and information contained in the Documents are true and
complete. There has been no oral or written modification of or amendment to any
of the Documents, and there has been no waiver of any provision of any of the
Documents, by action or omission of the parties or otherwise.

                  5. The Shares will not be issued in violation of Article
Eighth of the Charter, and the certificates for the Shares will bear the legend
required by Article Eighth, Section (a)(13) of the Charter.



                  Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions,
limitations and qualifications stated herein, it is our opinion that:

                  1. The Company is a corporation duly incorporated and existing
under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Maryland and is in good standing
with the SDAT.

                  2. The Shares have been duly authorized, and when and if the
issuance of the Shares is authorized by the Compensation Committee of the Board
of Directors and the Shares are issued and delivered against payment therefor
and otherwise in the manner described in the Resolutions and the Plan, the
Shares will be (assuming that upon any such issuance the total number of shares
of Common Stock issued and outstanding will not exceed the total number of
shares of Common Stock that the Company is then authorized to issue under the
Charter) validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

                  The foregoing opinion is limited to the substantive laws of
the State of Maryland and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any
other law. We express no opinion as to compliance with any federal or state
securities laws, including the securities laws of the State of Maryland. We
assume no obligation to supplement this opinion if any applicable law changes
after the date hereof or if we become aware of any fact that might change the
opinion expressed herein after the date hereof.

                  This opinion is being furnished to you for submission to the
Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and, accordingly, may not
be relied upon by, quoted in any manner to, or delivered to any other person or
entity without, in each instance, our prior written consent.

                  We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit
to the Registration Statement and to the use of the name of our firm therein. In
giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons
whose consent is required by Section 7 of the 1933 Act.

                                     Very truly yours,

                                  /s/ BALLARD SPAHR ANDREWS & INGERSOLL, LLP



EXHIBIT 23.1



                       CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS



We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration
Statement on Form S-8 dated March 29, 2001 and related Prospectus pertaining
to The Macerich Company 2000 Incentive Plan of our reports dated February 13,
2001 on our audits of the consolidated financial statements and financial
statement schedule of The Macerich Company as of December 31, 2000 and 1999
and for the three years ended December 31, 2000 and of Pacific Premier Retail
Trust as of December 31, 2000 and 1999 and for the year ended December 31,
2000 and for the period from February 18, 1999 (Inception) to December 31,
1999, which appear in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.



PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Los Angeles, California
March 29, 2001