How long will the Norfolk Tides be at Harbor Park? New lease provides insights on casino concerns.
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NORFOLK — The Norfolk Tides are staying at Harbor Park. They’re just not guaranteed to be there for as long as they once were.
Preseason improvements to the 30-year-old ballpark at an estimated cost of $550,000 were part of a short-term lease agreement reached between the city and the Tides, according to documents obtained by The Virginian-Pilot.
The documents, which serve as amendments to a 10-year lease that expired last year, keep the Tides in Harbor Park through the 2023 season, with an option for 2024.
The lease agreement, provided by the city after a Freedom of Information Act request, is the team’s third since moving to the waterfront ballpark in 1993. The original lease was for 20 years.
Tides president Ken Young said the new agreement is abbreviated because both sides are waiting to see whether a proposed casino is built beyond the stadium’s left field wall.
The new agreement, which was quietly finalized in February, is backdated to Nov. 1.
“I assume the casino will start construction sometime later this year, but that’s an unknown right now,” Young said.
“And then we’ll see where that goes. The casino plans have changed since the beginning of my discussions with the city. That was another reason that lengthened the negotiations somewhat.”
HeadWaters Resort & Casino has been scheduled to open in 2024, but ground has still not been broken. A temporary casino on the property was proposed last summer, but it never happened.
Jay Smith, a HeadWaters spokesman, said the casino is still in the works.
“We are working diligently with the city and plans are underway to build and operate a temporary gaming facility on the site while the permanent casino is being constructed,” Smith said, “and visitors can expect to enjoy casino games next year.”
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In the meantime, they can still enjoy baseball games involving the Baltimore Orioles’ top minor league affiliate. The new agreement compelled the city to invest in largely unseen improvements to Harbor Park, including locker rooms for female staffers and umpires, an HVAC system for the batting cages under the stands, a coaches’ meeting room and a wireless network for fans.
If the term is extended through 2024, the lease calls for another $750,000 for suite-level renovations, HVAC and field resurfacing, in addition to $600,000 for ongoing preventative maintenance.
City officials say they remain committed to both the team and the casino project.
“City staff continue to work with the HeadWaters Resort & Casino team to develop a site plan where Harbor Park and Headwaters co-exist because the Tides belong in Norfolk,” City Manager Dr. Chip Filer said. “The two-year lease the city recently executed with the Tides keeps the team playing at Harbor Park as design and construction of HeadWaters commences. Mayor (Kenny) Alexander and the entire council are eager to get the construction of HeadWaters started, sign a new long-term lease with the Norfolk Tides and welcome everyone to the city’s unique waterfront entertainment district.”
Young, a longtime recreational food service executive who led the investor group that bought the Tides in 1993, said that despite the short-term lease, the team isn’t going anywhere as things stand now.
“The Tides are stable here,” Young said. “I’ve been here now for 30 years. The fans have been great. There’s never been a time that we thought about looking elsewhere or anything like that. But it’s a reasonable question, still. And it does come down to the casino and, really, is this the best long-term location for baseball? Right now, we still think it is. But we need to see what their plans are.”
David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com. Twitter @DavidHallVP.
