“The Bank” will soon be boosted.
The most extensive upgrades since M&T Bank Stadium first opened in 1998 have already begun at the Ravens’ venue, which will host a playoff game against the Houston Texans on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. By August, the stadium will have received the first of a three-part face lift, with other additions expected to be finished ahead of the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
The $430 million investment of state money will improve the gameday experience for the average, purple-clad fan — concourses will be expanded, bathrooms will be added, and three plazas will be attached to the stadium featuring bars, restaurants and stores — as well as for the most well-off attendees — with the addition of suites and clubs, including a luxurious locale dubbed “The Blackwing.”
The planned upgrades — as well as the potential that the Orioles will develop land near Oriole Park at Camden Yards — have been met with excitement, but also apprehension. The addition of a 5,000-square foot beer hall next year at the football stadium, for example, could pull some would-be customers away from surrounding businesses on game days. Kim Lane, the executive director of Pigtown Main Street has said more attractions to the stadiums “may harm local neighborhood economies.”
But several business owners welcome the additions — which they don’t necessarily see as a threat — as do many fans, eager for improved amenities.
“Am I worried about it? No,” said Jordan McGraw, co-owner of nearby Wico Street Beer Co. “Rising tides and all that.”
The state’s investment — which will be paid off over at least a decade with lottery proceeds — is the product of a bill passed by the General Assembly and Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in 2022 that promised money for stadium improvements, provided that the pro teams sign long-term leases with the state, which owns the stadiums. The Ravens committed to a lease until 2037 (10 years longer than their lease had been) and the renovations were later approved by the Board of Public Works, chaired by Democrat Gov. Wes Moore.
Publicly funded stadiums are not unique to Baltimore ($1.26 billion of public money is set to fund a new venue for the Tennessee Titans, to name one, scheduled to open in 2027). But some Marylanders have criticized the decision to use state money for Baltimore’s stadiums, which are occupied by privately owned tenants. Others have critiqued the upgrades to M&T Bank Stadium.
Maria Alvarez, a Ravens season-ticket holder since their first game in 1996 who has missed only two home games, wishes the renovations would be more centered upon the average fan, rather than those who “already have a foot up on everybody else,” she said. Specifically, she opposed improvements to exclusive suites and clubs.
“The Ravens need to think more of the little guy,” said Alvarez, of Columbia.
In a news conference last month, the Ravens unveiled their stadium improvement plan, which they have worked on for months with the Maryland Stadium Authority, their landlord. While some of the improvements are targeted to those in premium seating, other upgrades — like the expanded concourses, added bathrooms and plazas — will be available to any attendee.
“We want to make sure with such a significant investment that we really impacted and enhanced the experience for all of our fans,” Ravens president Sashi Brown said in December.
By signing a lease that is guaranteed to last at least 15 years — and could be more than 30 — the Orioles have also unlocked a share of state funds. The stadium authority estimated that, under the current agreement, they’ll be able to access about $400 million of the roughly $600 million in bonds potentially available, per the 2022 bill, for Oriole Park upgrades. It’s too soon for those funds to be used ahead of the 2024 baseball season, but the stadium authority hopes to have decided upon an architect and a construction company for those projects by the second quarter of this calendar year.
The stadiums, two of Baltimore’s most iconic buildings, are often showcased on national television and house sources of pride for Charm City, especially recently: The Orioles, despite a disappointing postseason, won more games than any American League team in 2023 and the Ravens are the No. 1 seed in the AFC after a dominant campaign. Entering this weekend’s divisional playoffs, they’re among the Super Bowl favorites.
But future bars and restaurants attached to M&T Bank Stadium and the potential of an entertainment district next to Oriole Park down the road — which would come after the Orioles and state come to an agreement to redevelop land, as outlined in their lease — could create an “economic island,” Lane, the Pigtown business leader, wrote last month in a Baltimore Sun commentary.
She noted that although “we are always cheering for our home teams,” she asked, “How will hundreds of millions of state dollars provided to the Ravens’ stadium benefit local businesses and neighborhoods?”
In certain cases, a large entertainment district can hurt established businesses, some economists say. After the Ballpark Village entertainment district, developed by Baltimore-based Cordish Company, opened near the St. Louis Cardinals’ stadium in 2014, one restaurant owner said “what it did is cannibalize all the little guys.”
Patrick Rishe, Director of the Sports Business Program at Washington University in St. Louis, said the topic at hand is one of “displacement,” or the idea that if more money is spent in one place, it could result in less money spent elsewhere. If all of the money spent at hypothetical new bars and restaurants near the Baltimore stadiums would have otherwise been spent at established locations, it would not increase overall economic activity, for example.
However, Rishe said he’s unaware of any data analyzing the impact of the entertainment district in St. Louis and said even when there is some displacement, that doesn’t necessarily mean a net negative. It can only be analyzed on a case-by-case basis, he said.
“In most instances, you’re going to see some displacement,” he said. “It’s just a question of how much and is it going to make it a net neutral endeavor or net positive in terms of sales tax revenue?”
The plazas at M&T Bank Stadium will only be open the 10 or so days a year when the venue is active, limiting their potential effects on surrounding businesses. And several bar and brewery owners see the improvements as being a lift for nearby neighborhoods, like Pigtown and Federal Hill.
“Overall, I think the entire thing is positive,” said Eric Cotton, owner of Pickles Pub, noting the benefits of the pro teams remaining in Baltimore. “That said, I can see how some of the smaller, newer places would be a little bit more nervous at this point to compete.”
Asked if the beer hall opening this coming year would affect Pickett Brewing, co-owner Kate Conway said: “It could hurt us or it could be amazing for us. I tend to go in the hopeful direction.”
Checkerspot Brewing owner Judy Neff added, “Development needs to happen and somebody’s gotta do it.”
By 2026, the experience at M&T Bank Stadium will be substantially different, with three plazas inviting fans to spend more of their time, before and after games, in the Ravens’ footprint. And if the Orioles and the state negotiate a deal to redevelop land around Oriole Park by 2027, a deadline outlined in their lease, there could be more changes coming to the area.
But the gameday experience might also remain similar for many. Some will prefer newer bars and restaurants by the stadiums while others might favor the charm — and prices — of longtime favorites.
“I feel like we’ll still do pretty well,” said Dave Rather, founder of Mother’s Grille in Federal Hill, a storied Ravens hangout.
Others are expected to continue the hearty pastime of tailgating — where the food and drink are plentiful and traditions run strong. Even during the Ravens’ soggy, meaningless game against the Steelers in Week 18, there many fans were, tailgating just the same in the rain. K.C. Schroeder, an Ellicott City resident attending the game (who is a Steelers fan, he admitted), said he’d noticed those tailgaters, smiling despite it all.
He cited Baltimore and Pittsburgh, along with Cleveland, as cities that share a similar grit.
“We’re kind of those working-class cities,” he said. “We’re always going to tailgate.”
Sarah Wilson is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
