Report: Pimlico Race Course Needs $300 Million Renovation

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Racing season at Pimlico is fast approaching, but a study released Friday says the race course needs a major overhaul.

Those who live in the area agree, but say renovations should stretch well beyond the track.

The $300,000 study by the Maryland Stadium Authority says $300 million dollars are needed to renovate the old Pimlico Race Course to keep the Preakness in Baltimore. The facility has been in desperate need of repair.

"It's an opportunity to showcase our city, to showcase it in a bright light," says Baltimore City Mayor Catherine Pugh. "I am optimistic about the report. We are one of the jewels in the triple crown. That's major."

The report calls for public-private partnerships to pay for the renovations.

"They would start the construction the day after Preakness," says Maryland Delegate Sandy Rosenberg. "The hope would be that two years later they would be done."

During that time, the Preakness could temporarily be moved to Laurel.

Another study is needed to determine the type of changes that need to be made. Mayor Pugh says "rehabbing" must go beyond the 147-year-old track.

"We are going to do whatever is necessary because it creates jobs and opportunities especially for people who live in that neighborhood," Pugh says.

Ronald Billy Sr. has run a business in the Pimlico community since 1971.

"A lot has to be done," he says. "The same way we leave Pimlico to go to Owings Mills or Hunt Valley or Towson Town Center to shop, we want the standards of Pimlico to come back up to where it used to be."

With fears that the Preakness Stakes could be moved to Laurel, in revitalizing the course, the community could keep a Baltimore City tradition in place.

"The way it is now, is what you see is what you get," Billy says. "But we want to have this place inviting."

In a statement sent to WJZ, Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer, a city councilman who represents the Pimlico neighborhood, says:

"I would love to see the administration of Pimlico Racetrack strengthen their engagement with its surrounding communities."

Pimlico Race Course first opened in 1870. In 2016, more than 135,000 people attended the Preakness Stakes.

Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook