Uncertainty at the ballpark
Planned Norfolk casino has made the Tides’ future more opaque
There are few more enjoyable activities on a warm summer night in Hampton Roads than settling into a seat at Harbor Park to watch the Norfolk Tides play baseball. The top farm team of the Baltimore Orioles, the Tides boast a roster of near-major league talent and (pardon our bias) one of the best ballparks in the minor leagues.
For a region that does not have a team in any of the top domestic sports leagues, the Tides (and the Norfolk Admirals hockey team) are a valuable asset for a number of reasons. Norfolk must make certain that its pursuit of a casino doesn’t unintentionally damage its relationship with a Tides organization that has been a part of the landscape for decades — and should continue to be.
Officials, dignitaries, players and fans celebrated “a new era in baseball” on April 14, 1993, when 12,113 people crammed into Norfolk’s much-anticipated Harbor Park along the waterfront. In 1995, Baseball America dubbed the $16 million facility the best minor league ballpark in the country — a vast improvement over Met Park, formerly located near Interstate 64 and Military Highway.
Harbor Park was considered more than a baseball stadium, and it still is.
It continues to provide the area a foothold in professional sports, with future major leaguers plying their trade before ascending to play for the Baltimore Orioles, the Tides’ parent club. For a region that
struggles with its identity, having a AAA ballclub here raises Hampton Roads’ profile.
The park remains a destination for family entertainment, someplace mom and dad can take the kids for an evening to enjoy a ballgame at a relatively low price. Try buying four seats, food and drinks at a major league park — or an NFL game — and you’ll long for the friendly confines of Harbor Park.
It was also part of the city’s downtown revitalization plan, considered a prominent economic development keystone that would help draw residents and visitors to the city — to eat and drink, to stay and to
enjoy a ballgame.
On that last point, the city has concocted numerous plans to breathe new life into that district. Some areas and structures have been the subject of repeated redevelopment efforts. But Harbor Park has remained, continuing to welcome fans and drive revenue to Norfolk’s coffers.
For all of those reasons, it was concerning for Hampton Roads to read this week that the Tides’ future here is less than certain. Reporting by The Virginian-Pilot on Monday outlined how the proposed casino has landed the city and the ballclub in a bit of a holding pattern about the future.
The Tides had a 10-year lease that expired last year and, per the agreement obtained by The Pilot through a Freedom of Information Act request, extended that by a year with an option for 2024. Will they extend the deal longer? That depends.
The planned arrival of HeadWaters Resort & Casino adjacent to Harbor Park has both the city and the team watching to see how things develop. The casino was scheduled to open in 2024, but has yet to break ground on the gaming facility and hotel.
The city invested $550,000 prior to this season for improvements and renovations, “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.” And if the 2024 option is exercised, Norfolk will pour an additional $750,000 into the park “for suite-level renovations, HVAC and field resurfacing, in addition to $600,000 for ongoing preventative maintenance.”
But will that be enough for the team, which may not be as enthusiastic as the city about the casino’s location? And will Norfolk, in pursuit of gambling revenue, sour its relationship with the team?
Time will tell, but going to Harbor Park remains a premier summer destination in Hampton Roads and it would be an absolute shame were anything to affect what has been a mutually beneficial, productive and lucrative arrangement for our community.