With a preliminary deadline looming in a few months, the Baltimore Orioles and the state government have not yet launched negotiations over redevelopment around Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Adding attractions around the downtown ballpark was a key desire of former team owner John Angelos, who was involved in protracted lease negotiations with the state in 2023 before his family sold the team to the current ownership group led by David Rubenstein.
Angelos envisioned a live-work-play complex centered on the ballpark, in the vein of The Battery complex in the Atlanta suburbs next to the home of the Braves.
The ballpark lease signed by the state and Angelos in December 2023, which is binding for the current owners, opened a four-year window for the team and the state to settle on a ground lease that would give the team authority to build around the ballpark. There’s also a checkpoint on Dec. 31, 2025, that requires a meeting of key parties if no lease has been signed.
“At this point, we haven’t had any conversations about a ground lease,” said Catie Griggs, president of business operations for the Orioles.
That’s a different position for the Orioles, as Rubenstein said in a radio interview back in September 2024 that the ground lease might be completed in the “not-too-distant future.”
The Maryland Stadium Authority signed off on an agreement last year that gives the team access to conduct inspections and site evaluations necessary for creating a redevelopment plan, according to Gov. Wes Moore’s office.
“Since then, the team has not submitted a redevelopment plan, but the Maryland Stadium Authority and the Moore-Miller administration stand ready to begin engaging with the Orioles regarding their vision for redevelopment for the Camden Yards complex,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
The Orioles have been focused on improvements to the ballpark itself, beginning to tap $600 million in state bonds made available through the lease agreement — although, to unlock the full $600 million, the Orioles and state must seal a 15-year lease extension that is contingent on a ground lease agreement.
At this point, the state has approved a $135 million project.
“One of the unique characteristics of working to renovate a ballpark is, needless to say, we have a finite amount of time to do the work, which means you have to be thoughtful about not overloading the offseason,” Griggs said. “Come opening day at Camden Yards next year, we need to be ready, right?”
The announced projects at this point begin with a new videoboard and renovations to the club level. Already, the Orioles are preparing for the upgraded board, which they say will be the 12th-largest in Major League Baseball. A team spokesperson said the removal of some center field seats is due to work on the foundation for the new video board and surrounding area.
In addition, Camden Yards will receive upgrades to its sound system, and TVs will be added throughout the concourse so fans can better stay in touch with the game while heading for concessions.
Beginning in 2026, there will also be a new vantage point for fans where the press box used to sit. The club is introducing a new premium club that will accommodate 380 visitors. The new press box will move one section over on the third base side and will replace a section of seats.
Some of the less-visible upgrades approved will be for a new chiller room and structural steel painting.
“There will be more renovations in future seasons,” Griggs said, “but we were really prioritizing that work now because it does tie into the overarching mentality of the ticket packages and our desire to make sure there’s something here at Camden Yards for everyone.”
The Orioles haven’t yet articulated a vision for what they’d like to build or rebuild around the ballpark.
When Angelos ran the team, he pushed hard for development rights on state-owned land around the park.
Angelos and the governor’s team reached an initial deal that would have paved the way for the Orioles to be granted a 99-year ground lease on the iconic B&O Warehouse, the vacant Camden Station building and an adjacent strip of parking for potential development. If the 99-year ground lease wasn’t executed, the team would have had the option to exit from their main ballpark lease after as few as 10 years.
That deal drew scrutiny from top lawmakers, including Senate President Bill Ferguson, whose district includes Camden Yards. That opposition sent the Angelos and Moore camps back to the negotiating table.
The final lease that was agreed to keeps the team playing in Baltimore for longer — a minimum of 15 years, and likely for 30 years — while charting a path for negotiations for the ground lease and development around the park.
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