Under Armour Begins Work on its Track and Field Facility in Port Covington
Under Armour has begun the second phase of its new global headquarters in Port Covington as site work is underway for a new track and field facility. As work begins on the new athletic facility, planning continues for the company’s proposed five-story, 284,000 sq. ft. office building.
Under Armour’s new campus takes the place of the now-shuttered Port Covington Shopping Center. The shopping center, which was never finished, only ever featured a Sam’s Club and Walmart. The Sam’s Club was transformed into a 170,000 sq. ft. office building called Building 37. The former Walmart building still stands and has been used for warehouse sales and PPE manufacturing. The former parking lots and pad sites are currently getting demolished and graded.
Under Armour’s transition from Locust Point to Port Covington will happen in three phases. The first phase is for UA LightHouse, which is currently at City Garage, to relocate to Building 37 this year. Under Armour vacated Building 37 in early-2020 so that renovations could begin.
The second phase is the construction of a NCAA-regulation track and field facility with a multi-sport playing field on land just east of Building 37. This facility will serve primarily as a testing ground for Under Armour’s innovation, product development, and sports marketing. The athletic facility will also be available to Under Armour team members and the greater Baltimore community through shared-use agreements and special events. It will have bleachers with a seating capacity of 1,400.
Neil Jurgens, senior vice president of real estate at Under Armour, said last year he envisions a lot of “Friday night lights” at the stadium by hosting high school football games and additional events. He also noted the track will be open to the public. There will additionally be three new outdoor basketball courts along the Patapsco River.
An Under Armour spokesperson told SouthBMore.com in an email today: “We will focus first on the track and field facility, while we continue the design and planning phase for the new teammate building. We look forward to presenting more details to the relevant city agencies in the weeks and months ahead.”
This building will be at the north portion of its campus, near Cromwell St. and the new buildings in Chapter 1 of the Port Covington Development. The Port Covington Development team is made up of Under Armour Founder and Chairman Kevin Plank’s Sagamore Ventures, Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group, and Weller Development.
Across from Under Armour’s campus is a proposed residential real estate development by 28 Walker. The project will take the place of the former Locke Insulators facility on W. Peninsula Dr.
Under Amour said last year it expects to have about 1,100 employees a day at its Port Covington campus. The company, which has mostly worked remote during the pandemic, will have a portion of its workforce on campus everyday, a portion entirely remote, and a portion in a hybrid model.
Along with office spaces that are designed for collaboration in a post-COVID-19 world, it will also have a 30,000 sq. ft. Under Armour retail store.
Last year, Under Armour said there are no plans for a parking structure at Under Armour’s Port Covington campus at this time. Employees and visitors will utilize surface parking lots. The company also said the new campus will be a 40 percent reduction of its office footprint, but the Port Covington property has room for future growth.
Renderings courtesy of Under Armour
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.
