Three Bids Submitted to Renovate Royal Farms Arena

The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) has received three bids from its November Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Royal Farms Arena. The bids come from Oak View Group; Metropolitan Development and ASM; and Spectra.

In a previous press release, the BDC said, “The goal of redevelopment is either a major renovation of the existing structure or a newly constructed arena at the current site. BDC’s goal is to create a major transformation of the existing Arena into a first-class, modern, entertainment and event venue through either renovation or new construction.”

BDC Managing Director of Marketing & External Relations Susan Yum said, “The details of the proposals contain proprietary information, so the BDC board voted to close the meeting and I can’t discuss information revealed during the closed meeting.”

Oak View Group is based in Los Angeles, CA and is currently redeveloping Seattle’s KeyArena for future NHL team Seattle Kraken. Oak View is also involved in the development of the Belmont Park Arena in Elmont, NY for the New York Islanders.

ASM has a portfolio of more than 300 stadiums, arenas, convention centers, entertainment districts, theaters, amphitheaters, and equestrian and recreational centers. This includes the new Allegiant Stadium for the Las Vegas Raiders and US Bank Stadium for the Minnesota Vikings. Metropolitan Development has developed several apartment buildings Downtown and is currently under construction on the City Crescent Building across the street from Royal Farms Arena.

Spectra is a Philadelphia, PA-based venue management company. Its clients include Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA and the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX.

The Royal Farms Arena was constructed in 1961 and was previously the home to the Baltimore Bullets, Baltimore Blast, Baltimore Skipjacks, and additional indoor football and lacrosse teams. It has taken on different names including the Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore Arena, and 1st Mariner Arena.

The current arena has a capacity of 14,000 for concerts and up to 12,289 for basketball, hockey, or soccer. It lacks the size or modern amenities to be the home of an NBA or NHL team, and it has not hosted the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament since 1995. Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said his  teams would play more games in Baltimore if the City replaces the Baltimore Arena.

Baltimore has seen many proposals for a new arena in recent decades, but none have moved forward. Arena management was previously worried a renovation that took the arena offline for a period of time would hurt the arena’s momentum, and hurt its ability to stay on the yearly schedule for certain events. However, with events currently halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Yum said in November that it has become an ideal time to look into renovating the current arena.

This was first reported by the Baltimore Business Journal

Screenshots from Google Maps

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.