Sagamore Partners with Ripken Baseball for Field Designs at Port Covington’s West Shore Park
Sagamore Development Company today announced a partnership with Ripken Baseball to design athletic fields at West Shore Park in Port Covington. Ripken Baseball will collaborate with Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks on the effort to design the public park along the northern shore of the Middle Branch.
Ripken Baseball is a sports entertainment company that represents the business interests of Cal Ripken, Jr. and Bill Ripken. Ripken Baseball will assist Sagamore Development in designing and planning the construction of athletic fields for Port Covington.
“Any time you have the opportunity to work with a respected brand like Ripken Baseball, with its track record of success, you don’t think twice,” said Marc Weller, president of Sagamore Development, in a press release. “The revitalization of Port Covington requires the creation of spaces where Baltimore residents can live, work and play. We’re extremely excited to work with Baltimore City Rec & Parks, Cal and Ripken Baseball, leveraging its expertise to build amazing places to play for Baltimore City youth.”
Ripken Baseball has helped design state-of-the-art fields across the United States, including multi-field Ripken Experience complexes in Myrtle Beach, SC; Pigeon Forge, TN; and Aberdeen, MD. Ripken Baseball also owns and operates the Aberdeen IronBirds, a Short-Season A minor league team of the Baltimore Orioles that plays at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium. The Aberdeen complex also includes Cal Senior’s Yard, a youth baseball stadium that is a small replica of Camden Yards, along with fields shaped like Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and Memorial Stadium.
Specific details of the fields in Port Covington will be announced as the process continues.
“As a Baltimorean, I was excited the moment I heard about Sagamore Development’s plans for Port Covington,” said Ripken, Jr. “We’re thrilled Ripken Baseball can play a role in building what will be a great place for Baltimore and its youth and we look forward to working with Sagamore Development and the City on this worthwhile effort.”
“Baltimore City Recreation and Parks is looking forward to expanding its public assets and inventory of athletic fields and open space for the citizens of Baltimore. Sagamore Development’s engagement with Ripken Baseball brings a level of expertise to the project that gives us great confidence moving forward,” added Bill Vondrasek, acting director of Baltimore City Recreation & Parks.
Sagamore’s proposed Port Covington development includes Under Armour’s 50-acre, 3.9 million sq. ft. global headquarters; 1,500,000 sq. ft. of destination, attraction, entertainment and specialty retail; more than 7,500 residential units, including rental and for-sale properties at various price-points; 500,000 sq. ft. of “maker” and industrial/light manufacturing space’ 200-plus hotel rooms; 1,500,000 sq. ft. of office space (in addition to the Under Armour Global Headquarters); and civic and cultural uses including 40-plus acres of public parks, a public waterfront, and other public facilities. Sagamore currently owns 161 acres of land in Port Covington, which it described as 85% of the private parcels in the area, from recent real estate acquisitions totaling $114 million.
Photos of Cal Senior’s Yard from RipkenBaseball.com
Port Covington renderings from Sagamore Development. West Shore Park is just west of the Hanover Street Bridge
About the Author: Kevin Lynch
Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.
