A panel of state and city leaders is expected to announce their recommendation Thursday for building a new arena in downtown Baltimore, and outline the next steps for the project.
The panel over the past few months has weighed proposals from prominent city developers for a replacement for the aging 1st Mariner Arena, which opened in 1962.
Media reports late last week, citing unnamed sources, said the panel had decided to place the new arena at the site of 1st Mariner. The reports could not be confirmed at the time.
Ed Hale, operator of the Baltimore Blast indoor soccer team and one of the developers who pitched the panel on a new arena, said the move would “for all intents and purposes … put us out of business,” and could lead to some lost business when the new building opens. Other developers said a new venue at the site could be an important keystone for west side development.
