Stadium News and Speculation VIII | And Now, Anacostia (Mayor@dc.gov or adrian.fenty@dc.gov)

Re: Wash. Post - Stadium comment...

The headline in the Labor Day edition of the Examiner (the free daily that Phil Anshutz owns) reads "Barry Blasts Fenty Over Poplar Point" with a subheadline "No soccer, no support, council member vows." The article says the RFEI makes no mention of a soccer stadium. Barry is drawing a line in the sand. He said in a letter to Fenty that if the RFEI is not withdrawn in 30 days and rewritten with community input many in the community will not cooperate with or support the development and will stop it by all means necessary.

 

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Another vote for merging threads. We now have two threads, each talking about two things, and they're the same two things.

 

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I'm with Bootsy on this. I've just added post 437 to the other thread. Isn't it time to close that one and shift the conversation over to here?

 

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as much as I hate to admit - money into the pockets of Fenty is not very farfetched to imagine ..... the blood of the Redskins and the Senators runs deep through the community and getting the Skins back into the District from Maryland is probably something Fenty is drooling over - that and fleecing Snyder and the taxpayers of the money to build a new stadium over RFK grounds. He just isn't going to demonstrate the loyalty to the Black and Red - his words to the fans at RFK were lies - pure and simple. But given he represents the District - what did you expect?

JoeW and others - Toll Brothers is going to dump some land in Loudoun County in the near future to get out of obligations - they are reassessing their building plans ... relatively cheap land can be had there for a stadium.

I still would rather see it near Crystal City - but probably will not happen.

 

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The team should put up a big banner on the television side of the stadium for viewing during MLS Cup:

Fenty: Let United stay in DC

Perhaps a nationally televised ninety minute calling-out might get his attention? What does the team have to lose?

 

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Anyone else notice that 90%+ of the people calling for the team to move out of the District are from VA and *gasp* want it in VA? I think I've seen about 2 posters seriously mention moving the team to Maryland.

It's not that I absolutely believe the team MUST remain within the District, however, it MUST remain within the Beltway AND Metro-accessible. By Metro-accessible I mean NOW, CURRENTLY, Metro-accessible. Not, well they're talking about bringing metro out to Dullas.

 

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Yes, but you're in the silent majority, while the vocal minority annoys me to no end.

 

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I live in Richmond and I think the team should stay in DC.
I mean how many times do we make fun of the Jersey Cows or rag on Philly for building a stadium in Camden or wherever?

 

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I live in Virginia and I support a thread title change.

 

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Well, if you want to make sure Fenty can't go anywhere without people telling him to keep United in D.C., you can keep up with his schedule here:

http://www.dc.gov/mayor/schedule.asp

Nothing loud or annoying, just make sure he's constantly reminded that many of us drive in from Virginia, and Maryland, to put money in D.C.'s pockets.

 

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Sorry Alec but it doesn't look good for us getting a stadium in DC. And I for one want a SSS anywhere close to DC. My choice would be Gainesville VA but I'll travel to Maryland if I have to.

 

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I would love a SSS at RFK or at Poplar Point ... or near Crystal City ... but if the option is a SSS in the hinterlands .... or continued mistreatment by DC public officials ... I would choose the hinterlands.

 

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I am a Virginia resident, and I want a DC Stadium.

That being said, if they want to play in a parking lot in Baltimore, I'd probably still go see them.

 

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I live in VA and I NEVER want to see United leave the district. Well, unless the stadium is in Arlington and 3 blocks from my house.

Fenty is a stool.

 

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There's no way in hell I'll ever drive out to Loudon County.

As for Snyder, why in the world would he move back to DC? FedEx Field is his personal ATM. Maryland, in particular PG County, will go to any length to keep Snyder happy. Fenty's dreaming if he thinks he can get the Redskins back.

United must be prepared to leave DC if they want a new stadium. We've been second-class citizens from the beginning, and nothing has changed.

 

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If he could get a bigger ATM in the District, I'm sure Snyder would go for it. And just talking to the District means that PG would be interested in further bending over backwards for him.

 

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We keep talking Loudoun County, but what about Maryland? I don't remember who posted this little gem about a year ago, but it was that DC United had first option on a hunk of land at a metro stop near the beltway. I then took a look at what stops met that qualification (can't find that post either), and most of them were in Maryland, not Virginia.

So, if this first option on land thing is true, then we might be talking Maryland. I'd think that it would also need to be an area that offered real estate development beyond merely a stadium in order help fund it.

Or what about this as an option...if the Barry letter is correct, and Fenty's administration is indeed seeing the poplar point development as piecemeal, then what if MacFarlane grabbed off the first piece of development and used those profits to build a stadium elsewhere. That would be similar to what Wolff is planning in San Jose.

Remember, if it is true that the stadium would have to go where the Park Police facilities are, and if that isn't going to be ready until 2012 at the earliest, then maybe having a stadium up and running somewhere else 3 or more years earlier (the date range in the RFEI is 2012 - 2014) means less of a loss from team operations. That alone might stimulate a move out of the District. Plus it's just that many fewer years that Fenty's administration can f^ck around with our team.

 

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Well then - I guess I better go post a big in that other thread too.

 

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That's what I've been doing...

 

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Regarding FedEx Field in PG: Aren't there already plans for converting the stadium into retail and housing? How much does PG actually make off of the stadium? It seems like Snyder makes all the money. I'm glad PG got the PG Sports and Learning Complex out of the stadium deal though. The indoor track is one of the better flat tracks in the region.

 

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seahawkdad is this what you were talking about:

 

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So, back to my idea that the location of the development needed to fund the stadium and the location of the stadium need not be adjacent. It is possible that, given Fenty's apparent sequential development plan, that MacFarlane and company could develop the retail and housing on Poplar Point and build the stadium elsewhere.

Of course, that would lose a magnet attraction for stimulating Ward 8 businesses...which is related to Marion's point.

 

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Snyder might make money from FedEx, but it will always be a blemish from the tail end of the Cooke era. A new stadium on the RFK site will be an even bigger cash cow, with nearly as many seats, more luxury, a retractable (or domed) roof. It will be far more of a year round facility, attracting the Super Bowl, Final Fours, more concerts and maybe a World Cup someday.

And don't forget, Snyder is a Redskins fan who would love to increase his popularity with the fanbase by bringing the team back to the city.

Here's another thing closer to United's predicament with Fenty... why would the Mayor waste a chance to do something very memorable in contemporary urban politics. He could have a chance to keep/bring pro teams in the city with two privately funded stadiums during his tenure. I have no idea why he doesn't play it that way. He was so opposed to the Nationals public financing plan, why not show up Williams, pro sports owners and other cities by driving home the point that smart, privately funded stadiums can work?