Stadium Area, Baltimore

The Maryland General Assembly established the Maryland Stadium Authority on July 1, 1986, to select and develop stadium sites in the Baltimore metropolitan area. On July 1, 1987, the law which established the Stadium Authority was amended to enable the construction of new facilities in the Camden Yards area of Baltimore City, and to designate the Authority as an independent unit in the executive branch of the state government. Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened on April 6, 1992, and NFL Stadium at Camden Yards (now M&T Bank Stadium) opened on August 6, 1998.^[2]

The Stadium Authority negotiates leasing agreements with the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Ravens sports teams for their continued use of the area as their home playing fields.^[3] The Authority has also been tasked with facilitating the use of the city's stadiums outside of sporting events; for example, they helped coordinate a blood drive and a mass vaccination center at M&T Bank Stadium in 2021 as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[4][5] The Maryland Stadium Authority is also responsible for the Pimlico Race Course in northwest Baltimore, and as of 2021 is currently coordinating its planned redevelopment.^[6]

The Stadium Area is served by two stations on the Baltimore Light Rail, Camden station and Stadium/Federal Hill station (formerly known as Hamburg Street station).