Gov. Moore confident Orioles lease agreement will be reached by end of year
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore expressed confidence Wednesday that the state and the Orioles will execute a new lease for Oriole Park at Camden Yards by the end of the year, when the current lease expires.
“We’ve been working all throughout the weekend and in the week with all of the partners, and we feel very confident that a deal is imminent,” Moore, a Democrat, told reporters.
The state and the Orioles had reached an agreement covering the lease of the stadium itself for the ballclub, as well as development rights around the stadium late last week. But the deal was put on hold Friday — just before a planned public announcement — when Senate President Bill Ferguson expressed reservations.
Both sides are working toward the end-of-year deadline, mindful that any agreement must be approved by the Maryland Stadium Authority’s board of directors as well as the state Board of Public Works, comprised of the governor, comptroller and treasurer.
Moore spoke to reporters following Wednesday’s Board of Works meeting, which he referred to multiple times as the last “regularly scheduled” meeting of the year.
Treasurer Dereck Davis, a Democrat, said he was “fairly comfortable” with the deal that was presented on Friday. But he is elected to his post by state lawmakers, and represents their perspective.
Davis said that he believes the negotiators are working to address the Senate president’s concerns, particularly over part of the deal that would give the Orioles a 99-year ground lease on the B&O Warehouse, the empty Camden Station building and an adjacent strip of parking for redevelopment plans that have yet to be defined.
“Obviously, we want to do what’s best for the state of Maryland and the City of Baltimore, and we’re in partnership with the Orioles and Major League Baseball … but it’s imperative that we’re being wise stewards with the taxpayers’ money,” Davis said.
The third member of the Board of Public Works, Democratic Comptroller Brooke Lierman, did not speak to reporters following the meeting. On Monday, her office issued a statement saying that she is “committed to accountability to taxpayers and securing the best value for Marylanders.
