WASHINGTON D.C., DC — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is launching a task force focused on revitalizing the Gallery Place-Chinatown area ahead of the potential departure of the Washington Capitals and Wizards from the District to Northern Virginia.
The new Gallery Place-Chinatown Task Force will, "focus on the future of the two-block District parcel encompassing Capital One Arena and Gallery Place," the mayor's office said in a press statement.
Bowser announced the creation of the work group after the Monumental majority owner Ted Leonsis made public his plans to move the two sports teams from downtown D.C. to Alexandria's Potomac Yard neighborhood by 2028.
The task force will be chaired by two experts in developing retail communities who have worked on similar projects in the District. Jodie McLean and Deborah Ratner Salzberg are charged with leading the effort in creating an immediate activation plan, a long-term vision, and a financial plan.
Some Capitals like Kevin Jones acknowledged the huge impact that the potential departure of the sports teams will have in the neighborhood. "Being a Virginian, I love that it's going to be in my backyard, that's awesome, but obviously that's a big hit," Jones said.
Restaurant owners in the area have expressed their concern about the sports crowds that fill their businesses during game nights.
"The weekdays will probably be slower than what they are now with the teams in D.C.," local restaurant manager Jasmin Kang told WUSA9 in December.
The Gallery Place-Chinatown corridor has been a focus of economic development by the DowntownDC Business Improvement District. A report released last year noted that that visible drug sales, increased presence of unhoused people, and disruptive panhandling were negatively impacting experiences in the area.
The BID's President and CEO Gerrin Price recognized that there is a lot of work to be done to develop a neighborhood without the sports teams but he told WUSA9, "It's a challenge because there is a lot of uncertainty in the air, but I think what I would say to our business community is that we are standing together in this."
On Wednesday, the Council's Committee on Business and Economic Development will also have a roundtable to discuss the future of downtown and Capital One Arena.
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