St. Mary's County public hearing outlines $100 million-plus sports complex plan; funding unlikely soon

Speaker 1, Speaker, told the meeting that a public hearing on a proposed sports complex in St. Mary's County drew a very positive response but is still in the earliest stages.

The official said estimates place the cost of the facility at more than $100,000,000 and that the county’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) cannot fund the project as currently budgeted. "It is very early in the process," Speaker 1 said. "We, the estimates that we kind of are at with this facility is it would cost over $100,000,000 to build. That is not something that we can handle in our budget."

The speaker said the plan is being considered in conjunction with the Maryland Stadium Authority and that state financing would be required if the project is to proceed. "If the state looks at this plan and sees it as an economic driver, there is a chance that the state would put in the funding to make this happen," the speaker said, but added the state is facing a structural budget deficit.

Officials also raised nonfinancial issues that would need resolution before development could proceed, including determining the best use of the property and implementing traffic and safety improvements on nearby roads to handle increased use. The speaker said county officials are having difficulty obtaining bonding authority from their delegation and that, as a result, "there's no way we can afford this in our CIP as is right now."

While the hearing produced positive public interest, county officials gave no timeline for next steps and said the proposal remains contingent on state involvement and additional planning. "It's something that hopefully will happen down the road in the future, but don't hold your breath on it yet," the speaker said.

No formal votes or commitments were reported at the meeting; details such as a project timeline, specific funding sources, or site selection were not specified.