The Orioles’ wish list for Camden Yards includes removing upper deck seats in various locations and creating more “social spaces,” according to an exhibit included as part of the team’s just-announced lease agreement.
The plan would include taking out an unspecified number of left field upper deck seats to accommodate social spaces and a “relocated and expanded Kids’ Zone,” the exhibit says.
It also says the Flag Court area behind right field at Oriole Park could be expanded, including “removal of select seats” below the main scoreboard to create a centerfield bar and hospitality area.
And upper deck seats behind home plate also could be removed to create a bar overlooking the field.
The Board of Public Works approved a new lease agreement with the Orioles on Monday committing the team to the state-owned Baltimore ballpark for at least 15 years and potentially more than 30 years. By committing to a long-term lease, the team will be able to begin to tap into up to $600 million from bonds issued by the Maryland Stadium Authority for stadium upgrades. The team wouldn’t need to wait until options kick in that will determine whether the lease runs 30 years.
It’s unclear how much of the $600 million the stadium authority could access for improvements and a spokesperson for the authority did not reply when asked Tuesday. The Ravens have formally committed to a similar length of time as the Orioles and, earlier this year, the state approved $450 million in improvements to M&T Bank Stadium.
The renovation proposals appear on an exhibit schedule titled “Team Initial Capital Works.” A note on the page says the parties agree that the certain of the listed capital items — such as plant upgrades and safety and repair projects — would be first in line. All projects still need to be studied and priced before being finalized.
Other projects being considered include underground parking, a season plan member lounge and restaurant, new banquet spaces and a club level renovation.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which opened in 1992, seats about 46,000. Many newer stadiums are smaller and include open concourses with field views and stadium clubs for VIPs that offer prime low-level views.
For all the twists and turns of the prolonged negotiations, the status quo was among the winners. That’s because the immediate effect of the signed agreement — besides calming anxieties of anxious Orioles fans — is to simply extend the terms of the current lease.
Gone, at least for the time being, is a proposal under which the Orioles would stop paying rent to the state and take over responsibility for stadium operations and maintenance. One way that arrangement would take effect, however, is if the Orioles and state come to an agreement regarding a plan to develop the area around the ballpark in the coming years.
The lease details three key dates: one in four years, another in 15 years and the last in 30 years.
Dec. 31, 2027 is the first important deadline. That’s the date by which the Orioles and the stadium authority are to reach an agreement to redevelop certain properties around the Camden Yards site, which includes the B&O Warehouse and Camden Station. If the parties are able to agree on a finalized development rights plan that is approved by the proper government boards, the lease would last for 30 years, as envisioned.
The 2027 trigger date can be pushed back if the parties agree to do so.
The Orioles’ development rights to the Camden Yards site are exclusive while the parties are negotiating. The Maryland Stadium Authority cannot “have any substantive discussions with any other party” during that period without the team’s consent, the agreement says.
If the state and Orioles don’t finalize a development deal, the lease could be shortened to a 15-year term ending Dec. 31, 2038.
Neither the state nor the Orioles say this is likely to happen — both have pitched this as a 30-year plan. However, in the event the parties cannot agree on development terms, the Orioles could opt into the shorter agreement.
If the Orioles do not choose the 15-year option or if the parties agree on a development agreement, the lease would expire on Dec. 31, 2053 — which would mark 100 years of MLB baseball in Baltimore.
The new lease, which would take effect if the team and state agree on development rights, would put the Orioles in charge of stadium maintenance, as opposed to the stadium authority maintaining control.
During Monday’s Board of Public Works meeting, Comptroller Brooke Lierman asked stadium authority Chair Craig Thompson about safeguards the state would have over the property, which it paid $225 million to construct in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Interest on the bonds sold for the ballpark doubled that cost to $450 million.
Thompson noted that the lease would require the team to submit a maintenance plan annually to the stadium authority.
“As the owner of the stadium, the MSA will continue to have oversight and work with the Orioles with respect to repair and maintenance,” Thompson said.
If necessary, he added, the state could “intervene” to ensure the ballpark remains in good shape.
Lierman also asked what would happen in the event the team is sold. The Orioles are not for sale, but earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that billionaire David Rubenstein, a Baltimore native, was “in talks” to acquire the team.
“Just to be clear, if the team was sold, all of these obligations transfer to the new owner, that’s correct? So we’re safeguarding ourselves?” she asked.
“That’s correct,” Thompson replied.
Lierman, as well as Treasurer Dereck Davis and Gov. Wes Moore, all Democrats, form the three-person Board of Public Works. During a special meeting Monday, each voted in favor of the long-awaited lease agreement, which also received stadium authority approval Monday morning.
Lease negotiations have stressed Orioles fans for months and although a chapter has concluded, questions remain.
Most notably, can the Orioles and the state come to an agreement on a ground lease for properties around the ballpark? Orioles CEO and Chairman John Angelos has coveted creating an entertainment district around Camden Yards similar to the one around the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park. Coming to a consensus on that now will become the focus for the parties.
But fans can rest assured that the Orioles officially have a home for the next 15 years, and perhaps much longer than that.
Todd Flenniken, a Cecil County resident, is among the fans who’ve closely monitored lease negotiations this year. He said that, when Moore and Angelos appeared on the Camden Yards video board alongside an announcement of a 30-year deal in September, it was a “letdown” to later learn it was a nonbinding memorandum. But, he said he was “ecstatic” that the state and team agreed Monday to a commitment of at least 15 years and perhaps more than 30, especially since the team appears poised for a strong on-field run in the coming years.
“The fans are happy, they’re content,” he said, “and we can put this behind us and just enjoy the next — we’re on the precipice of some really great years ahead of us.”
