Public meetings have already taken place regarding a proposed Chesapeake Bayhawks stadium project in Crownsville, but officials note that it will take approval from multiple state agencies — and the Anne Arundel County government — before anyone puts a shovel in the dirt.

Last month, officials with the Bayhawks, a Major League Lacrosse team, hosted a meeting to discuss the estimated $200 million proposal, which in its early draft form would include more than a dozen fields, a stadium for the professional lacrosse franchise, an amphitheater, retail and hotel buildings and a new ramp from Interstate 97.

The project would revamp the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds and the old Crownsville Hospital Center. The Bayhawks currently play at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

The hospital center is a dilapidated complex of buildings on 500 acres with an unsavory history: It was built to house black patients, who were treated poorly and experimented upon. At one point it was called The Hospital for the Negro Insane, but in the final decades of its history served as an integrated psychiatric hospital.

The state has long tried to revitalize the area, but lead and asbestos issues have made it difficult. The state spends about $1 million annually maintaining the site.

Mark Burdett, Bayhawks president, said the team’s proposal “is a much bigger use and community entertainment initiative than it is a home for the Bayhawks.”

The Bayhawks initially proposed to build a 10,000-seat stadium at the hospital grounds. As they began looking at how to make it economically feasible, the project ballooned to three phases.

The first would be a 6,000-seat amphitheater with 2,400 parking spots on the fairgrounds. Phase two would include 20 youth sports fields alongside biking and hiking paths on the hospital center grounds. Phase three would see the 10,000-seat stadium.

An official proposal has not been submitted to the state, and Bayhawks officials say engineers are still crunching numbers.

“The casserole is not fully baked on that front,” Burdett said.

The Bayhawks have been working with two different state agencies: the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Health. DNR owns the county fairgrounds and currently leases it to the Anne Arundel County Fair. The Health Department owns the hospital property, which it leases to a variety of nonprofits.

If the Bayhawks get approval from the state agencies, the state Board of Public Works — composed of Gov. Larry Hogan, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot and state Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp — would ultimately be asked to approve the project.

Burdett said he plans to continue meeting with residents as the proposal evolves and goes through the state process. The Bayhawks held a community meeting Nov. 30 at which representatives fielded questions about the project and listened to area residents’ concerns.

Many expressed concern about traffic and environmental impact — and also that the Bayhawks did not have figures available on how much taxpayer money would be needed for the project to advance.

The Bayhawks plan to fund the project in partnership with the Maryland Stadium Authority, which would issue bonds backed by the state and sold to private investors. The Bayhawks would be the primary tenant of the stadium and would pay back the bonds over time.

Burdett said an I-97 ramp would help with some of the traffic. A pair of two-lane roads, Generals Highway and Crownsville Road, currently provide access to the fairgrounds and the hospital site. Only Generals Highway connects directly to area highways.

Getting the state on board isn’t the only requirement for the plan. If the state were to agree to the project, the Anne Arundel County Council would still get a say. County growth and development plans deemed the Generals Highway a slow-growth area, meaning the county isn’t focusing development along the highway. Property would also need to be rezoned to accommodate the stadium, fields and commercial uses.

The hospital grounds currently aren’t empty. Some of the buildings have been re-purposed for nonprofits including Robert A. Pascal Youth and Family Services and Gaudenzia, which operate drug and alcohol treatment services.

ccook@capgaznews.com