Stadium News and Speculation XI: Beltway United? The fat lady hasn't sung yet.

Slight edit to thread title - for acccuracy.

 

Beltway United....

I just puked.

 

Beltway United...

I just chucked my liquid dinner!

 

The trouble with the bidding process is that it almost always meets your short term objectives and almost always holds back long term growth. Almost always. I work in education and the one thing that I have learned from the bidding process is that you get what you pay for.

The biggest shame is for the District. This could have been a great positive for the District to attract people and businesses to the city. Short term objectives are once again winning out over long term success and growth. An absolute shame for Ward 8 that both wants and deserves the opportunity to host a major city attraction.

Opportunity lost for the District.

 

I would hate to drive to greenbelt, anywhere you dont have to access the beltway is fine for me.

 

hell why not NoVa? the Caps Centre was in Landover, FedEx is in Landover, i think its NoVas time. NoVa had a bid ready for if DC didnt want to give the Nats their new stadium. Sounds logical to me.

 

NOVA would likely mean the Route 1 corridor. Might as well be MD for me.

 

Another good NoVA location would be Springfield - Its got Metro and VA Rail Express - Unfortunately as much as I95 and the Beltway have been improved its still a commuting mess - Access from MD though will be greatly improved by the completion of the new Wilson Bridge - There's acres of unused warehouses at the northern edge of Ft Belvoir that borders on this area - Could be ideal to convert the land to a Stadium and extras

 

Anything not along the 295 corridor within DC city limits will isolate a segment of the fanbase. Parts of NoVa (i.e. South of the city) would put a limit on my attendance.

 

With the military moving around all those jobs, nothing in the Belvoir area is going to go unused.

 

This would be OK, if the Blue Line went one more station south...

 

Useful posts from the previous thread:

https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13454642&postcount=635

https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=13454719#post13454719

 

https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13464375&postcount=668

what is "too late" for the team, in terms of getting a new stadium?

realistically, how much longer can they stay at RFK? (how much longer will the DCSEC be willing/able to rent the stadium to United, and how much longer will United owners be willing to sign those "costly" lease agreements?)

when would a new soccer stadium be ready for games (no matter where it is built in or near the city)?

 

That GSA warehouse land is going to be used as the location for the 6-8,000 folks who won't be going to Ft. Belvoir proper, as planned, but still need to go somewhere because of BRAC.

 

Another element to the question is the cost-effectiveness of maintaining a stadium with profound structural deficiencies. If DC decides to condemn the structure before a PP stadium would be ready, United would be in another fine mess.

 

The team has expressed that 2010 or 2011 is when the stadium needs to be ready by.

The poplar point proposals won't break ground until late 2010. Unless they changed something, and if so, please correct me.

 

I don't think anything has changed, but I always had difficulty believing the "deadline" that seems pretty pulled from the sky would be held to hard and fast.

1) It's a classic negotiation strategy to try to impose time pressure.

2) I'm not sure why MacFarlane would still be engaged in the Poplar Point process if the very best it could turn out is still not good enough for him.

3) It just doesn't strike me as good long-term thinking to turn down a better proposal for a faster one in most cases. Maybe if they really are losing $10 Million a year vs an SSS, but I'm not sure I buy that either.

That's why when I hear "Poplar Point is dead," I think:

It's only mostly dead.

But do I think it'll work? It'd take a miracle.

 

of course, hence the "able" portion of my previous post. (how much longer will the DCSEC be willing/able to rent the stadium to United?)

DC could condemn RFK before any new soccer stadium in the area is ready, not just one at PP.

I don't think anyone (well maybe Dan Synder) is hoping that RFK is condemned before United has a new (permanent) home in which to play its games.

but if the "fine mess" is found, I do think that United could survive for 1-3 years at a temp venue (be that FedEx or Annapolis or other).

but the idea is to get a new stadium as soon as feasible. DC United for a long time felt that "their" new stadium would be at PP. then Fenty opened up the bidding for the development of that plot of land.

if (and these are just hypotheticals for the point of discussion) United are now presented with various stadium options, and a MD inner-suburb stadium could be "ready" by 2010-11, but a PP or DC stadium could be ready by 2012-13, one would have to wonder which plan VM/United would opt for.

clearly United is in a rush to get out of RFK, but they've never seemed in too much of a rush to get out of DC. maybe that's changed. maybe these PP plans (2 options that include the possibility for a stadium) are just another tease in order to prevent VM/KP from going through with those "threats" of taking the team to a nearby municipality that shows them a little more love.

i do think there is enough love for United in DC that the team can get a stadium there (as long as it is part of the open bid process, and not seen as some MLB/Nats style stadium hand-out).

the question is, is it "too late" and United has already decided to go with a "beltway" suitor for their stadium needs?

my hunch is that DC United would still rather stay in DC and be a part of the PP development. hopefully RFK can remain open while this all works itself out, to prevent any "temp venue" messes for DC United in the short term.

 

yeah, what he said.

if the movie were re-made for this saga, would Fenty get the glorious/famous role of Miracle Max, while Marion Barry gets the useful yet annoying role of Valerie?



or is Fenty the Albino?

The Albino: [raspy voice] The Pit of Despair! Don't even think...
[clears throat]
The Albino: ... don't even think about trying to escape. The chains are far too thick. Don't dream of being rescued, either; the only way in is secret. Only the Prince, the Count, and I know how to get in and out.
Westley: So I'm here till I die?
The Albino: Until they kill you, yeah.
Westley: Then why bother curing me?
The Albino: Well, the Prince and Count always insist on everyone being healthy before they're broken.
Westley: So it's to be torture?
The Albino: [nods enthusiastically]

 

Clearly the Albino, but with Barry playing Westley. That's the true undercurrent to all of this.

Rep given.

 

Barry would work well in the role of Valerie.

DC United is clearly Westley (the man in black).

and a new soccer stadium is his Buttercup.

 

Vic MacFarlane as Inigo Montoya: ".....you killed my stadium....prepare to die."