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

I think the closest parking may be at the little marina to the left.

 

I think we should all happily say goodbye to the kind of tailgates we're used to now if it means we get a stadium at Poplar Point. I know I'd have no problem making that trade.

 

same here - i think the best thing to do would be to have the supporters groups ask for access on a concourse to have kegs and maybe access to a grill. it would increase supporter group membership because anyone wanting to 'tailgate' would have to do so in a roped off area on the concourse, and it would benefit DCU cause the supporters groups enhance the stadium environment a lot and lead to a lot more ticket sales.

they'd probably just have to accept a little bit less in concession stand $$$, but if the supporters kegs had to be shut off by a certain time i would think they'd be ok with it.

 

Agreed.


Unless someone's willing to foot the bill for a pre-game party barge.

 

Make that a big area for all fans who aren't in any of the supporters groups - Actually, the number of other pre-game tailgaters far outnumber those groups

 

BARGE BARGE BARGE

 

Hmmm, there's a lot of smoke in that picture for some reason. Interesting

 

Interesting idea but I don't think this would ever happend for a variety of reasons (fiscal, liability, etc.).

 

Goffinho gets a status update from Uncle Vic:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2008/01/dcu_stadium_progress.html#comments

 

Just in... Steve Goff gets some good stadium quotes from Victor MacFarlane!

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2008/01/dcu_stadium_progress.html

 

"We've looked at no other place until recently when we got indications the District didn't want us."

 

Poplar Point will not happen. Read MacFarlane's quotes ....

How weak is that? Really does not say much for enthusiasm.

Not really an endorsement, is it? Unless MacFarlane is hiding something big, he sure does not sound like someone who thinks Poplar Point will happen.

The most telling statements from MacFarlane has to do with the two options at both New Carrollton and Greenbelt. Considering the availability to Metro and more important, the ability to make things happen, it looks like the team is moving to one of those two sites.

That says it all.

 

did we know that all three proposals have a stadium option? i haven't been keeping up (the stadium thread can be tough to read sometimes).

also, is is old news that united updated the poplar point website in FAQ format addressing how fenty f'd us?

 

I saw your comment and quote on Soccer Insider and I still don't see why those quotes which aren't really news are reason to believe Poplar Point is dead. I read them as talking about the ongoing process and negotiations.

 

All three included an option for a stadium, but I believe only two had it pictured in their presentation.

 

there are a lot of ways to read VM's comments to the Insider.

DCU wants to be in DC. Ward 8 seems to want them (and a stadium). If something can be worked out with the Fenty-selected developer, then it will be a good solution.

at this point VM doesn't know if DC can beat out the options that MD is presenting. nothing wrong with that stance.

the "month-to-month" joke about the RFK lease was what really scared me, even though it was a joke. i'm guessing there is some truth to it.

the team has no security (in the short term), especially if the city wants to get cracking on bringing NFL DannyDome to the RFK site.

in the long term, i do think PP is the most likely spot at which a DC United stadium will get built. Greenbelt and New Carrollton are negotiating (and back-up) plans. I wouldn't like to see one of those "Plan B's" wind up being the fall-back resoltuion, but that does look to be a real option, again depending on what the city and the selected PP developer want. I do think (or perhaps just hope) that Barry and his Ward 8 constituets that back DC United's stadium could be a signficant player in the decisions.

 

Those were the thoughts I was too lazy to type.

 

Like Falc wrote previously, I'm thinking more and more that this isn't about a political decision anymore as it is about timing. I think that city leaders want a United stadium within the PP development, but the time is ticking away for that to happen (how much do they care?). MacFarlane doesn't just want PP to happen, he wants it to happen in the relatively near future. Can the city offer that to him??

 

VM has met with each of the bidding developers. to me, that is an indication that he may/can accept their (and the city's) timeline. (or maybe -- and I really doubt it -- there is some other city site that Fenty could present that would be a quicker solution for DC United's stadium needs.)

really, the NFL DannyDome might be a significant player in the Timing discussion.

DC needs a stadium tenant on that land by the Stadium/Armory metro stop. they can't let DC United leave RFK (move to a new stadium) without having a new/old team (and new stadium) for that site. (i'm not certain of the federal requirements for that plot of land, but I'm pretty certain that a stadium is part of those requirements.)

things (allegedly) need to get done quickly. and the pace Fenty has been moving at (and all the work that is needed at the PP site before development/construction can begin) of course do not bode well for United's "urgent" timeline.

 

Yeah, I quoted myself. As part of the AWI the NCPC does have some ideas for the RFK site. I assume they would require a land transfer just as Poplar Point did. Would DC just build a DannyDome and nothing around it and be fine with the status quo or would DC hope the transfer would happen and development would come after the DannyDome is built?

 

Why is FedEx Field not good enough for the Redskins? Largest stadium in the league and built within the last 15 years. And if they really wanted to be in DC the whole time, why didn't they just build it in DC from the beginning? I'm a total outsider to this issue, but it doesn't make any sense to me.

 

i'm sure someone on BS wants to talk NFL with ya.

but google might be your best friend in figuring out why Jack Kent Cooke built his stadium in Raljon, MD, and why Danny Snyder is not happy with what his current stadium offers him. basically, he thinks he needs an indoor venue to host a Super Bowl.

 

First, MacFarlane would be a fool not to discuss stadiums with the three potential developers at Poplar Point. But Poplar Point is not a project that will get started anytime in the near future. It is not so much what MacFarlane responded to Goff's questions, it is what was not said. And there was nothing to indicate that Poplar Point is a reality for a DC United Stadium anytime soon. It is a possibility but just that. That does not mean that MacFarlane does not keep his options open but if time is a factor, then Poplar Point is dead. If things start to move along with either Greenbelt or New Carrollton and shovels can start digging, MacFarlane will act.

 

FedEx was built on the quick. Jack Kent Cooke wanted it built before he died. He was old. It's kind of generic. Danny knows any improvements is like putting lipstick on a pig, especially in the super rich world of the NFL. Image is everything, you know. At any rate, the stadium was on course to be built in DC, but the old man was impatient and then he patted Mayor Sharon Pratt-Kelly Dixon on the ass....so that didn't go too well. At any rate, it ended up in PG County and while Danny has a lot of seats, he wants DannyDome!