A published report says state and city leaders are seriously looking at a plan to build a new 17,000-18,500-seat arena at the current First Mariner Arena site.
State and city leaders are seriously looking at a plan to build a new 17,000-18,500-seat arena at the current First Mariner Arena site, according to a report in the Baltimore Business Journal.
That’s a larger venue than many in Baltimore have been pushing for; given there’s little chance of the city snaring an NBA or NHL team with Washington’s franchises doing well, one train of thought had the city moving forward with a smaller venue suitable for concerts and conventions.
The move toward a larger venue may not be due to concern about landing a major-league sports team, but rather the reality that landing any high-profile event — political convention, NCAA tournament game, major concert — means building a building with at least 17,000 seats.
And while the First Mariner Arena site is convenient, some developers wanted to see a new arena built in the Camden Yards area to take advantage of existing infrastructure and easy access. Indeed, between the time you tear down First Mariner and open the new arena, you’re looking at a construction timeframe of three years — a long time for the city to miss out on the concerts and family events that fill the place more often than not.
