Orioles Stadium Lease Unresolved Despite Optimistic Rhetoric, Potential First-Place Finish

Months of negotiations between the Baltimore Orioles and the Maryland government over a new lease at Oriole Park at Camden Yards have spurred a plethora of optimistic statements from team executives and elected officials. But as the summer turns to fall, there's little tangible evidence that stakeholders are closer to inking a new deal before the lease expires Dec. 31.    

The lack of a deal has cast a pall over a baseball season otherwise filled with joy for Orioles fans. A crop of young talent has propelled the team to its first playoff appearance since 2016 and possibly its first division crown since 2014. With one week left in the season, the Orioles lead the American League East by 2.5 games. 

As the celebration kicked into high gear after the team secured a playoff bid on Sept. 17, the lingering question of the O's future in Baltimore couldn't be avoided. 

"The Orioles have a 70-year partnership with the city and the state, and Camden Yards more than 30. And we're going to have 30 more. That's a given," Orioles CEO John Angelos told reporters while drinking Champagne in the locker room during the victory party.

But as playoff tickets went on sale last week, news about the status of lease negotiations remained sparse.   

The Orioles and Gov. Wes Moore's office declined to comment to Bisnow on the status of lease negotiations. One official with knowledge of the negotiations told Bisnow that the public knows as much about when the deal will be finalized as they do.

The Maryland Stadium Authority, which owns the stadium, said in a statement to Bisnow that it understands discussions regarding an agreement with the Baltimore Orioles and the future of "the beloved ballpark is top of mind for fans."

"Together with Gov. Moore, the MSA is committed to continue working in partnership with the Orioles to finalize an agreement that keeps the team in Baltimore for decades to come," the authority said. "MSA cannot comment further at this time and appreciates the fans understanding of the complexity and need for confidentiality in these matters."

The major obstacle in the deal reportedly revolves around Angelos requesting development rights for public parking lots around Oriole Park and additional state funds for upgrades to the stadium and associated projects. 

Angelos' father, attorney Peter Angelos, bought the team with partners for $173M in 1993, one year after the team’s inaugural season at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which cost $110M to build.      

In an interview with The New York Times last month, John Angelos said plans include live-work-play development like residences, hotels and bars. He also discussed projects like an elementary school, housing for mentorship programs and a health clinic. 

“People will speak about Baltimore like, ‘Wow, Baltimore is cutting-edge,’ which is what they said about Camden Yards,” Angelos told the NYT. “If we develop it right, and we include that impactful community program module, we can change the whole brand of Baltimore.” 

Angelos' pursuit of new development around the ballpark follows a trend among teams in recent years of encouraging development to boost revenues by making the area a year-round attraction. Most recently, the Atlanta Braves took this path with their new home, Truist Park in Cobb County, outside Atlanta. Adjacent to the ballpark is The Battery Atlanta, an entertainment district that Angelos and Moore visited in March.     

The district includes Live! at the Battery Atlanta, a concept from Baltimore-based developer Cordish Cos. The developer has completed other similar projects across the country, such as Texas Live! between the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Park and the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium, Ballpark Village in St. Louis and Xfinity Live! in Philadelphia. 

It is unclear whether a similar development around Oriole Park would be a boon for properties in the surrounding area, one local developer said.  

Caves Valley Partners partner Arsh Mirmiran said in an email to Bisnow that developing an entertainment district near the ballpark holds positive and negative implications for the firm's nearby projects, which include Cross Street Market, the mixed-use Stadium Square and the Werner Street Entertainment District near the Horseshoe Casino. 

"[It's] probably better in some ways (improving Baltimore and making it a better City, overall) and worse in some ways: fewer people would go to surrounding places like Cross Street Market focused exclusively on the offerings at the stadium and its immediate surroundings," Mirmiran said in the email.

Still, as the calendar creeps closer to the end of the year and despite repeatedly stating their optimism about inking a new lease, there have been signs of growing discontent from the state.  

Early this year, just after declining to exercise a one-time, five-year lease extension, Angelos told reporters he would "love to have (the lease) as an All-Star break gift for everybody, really, in the community.” 

However, Major League Baseball's All-Star break in mid-July passed without the team signing a new deal. Moore and Angelos issued a joint statement two days after the All-Star Game, telling fans both sides were progressing toward an agreement. 

“We’ve laid the groundwork for success, and progress is also being made on our vision to expand and revitalize the Camden Yards campus,” Angelos and Moore said in the statement. “We are determined to make it happen, and soon.”

Then, roughly two weeks later, Maryland Stadium Authority Board Member William Cole voiced aggravation about the lack of progress on a pact during the authority's monthly meeting, The Baltimore Sun reported. 

“I just wanted to express my frustration over the Orioles’ lease situation,” Cole told the board, according to the newspaper. 

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, added his voice to the choir of the discontent a few weeks later, telling the Sun in mid-August he wanted a deal done "yesterday." 

In late August, The Baltimore Banner reported on a significant divide holding up the negotiations between the state and the team.  

An anonymous source told The Baltimore Banner that in exchange for the O's signing a new lease, Angelos wanted development rights to public parking lots around the stadium and an additional $300M on top of the $600M that state legislators approved for stadium upgrades. The source said the state was unwilling to grant either of those requests. 

Still, despite signs of growing tension, Moore continued to reassure fans a deal is in the making. Most recently, over Labor Day weekend, he told reporters he remained confident the state could agree on a contract that ties the team to the city for decades to come but also creates a public-private partnership to redevelop the area around the stadium.  

“My lens on how I view this — and I’ve been very consistent on it — is I want to make sure that we have Orioles baseball in Baltimore for generations to come,” Moore said, according to the Sun. “I want to make sure that we’re being smart and real stewards of taxpayer dollars. And I want to make sure that this is not just going to produce winners on the field, but that it produces winners off the field.”