ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The conversation continues to grow surrounding the $2 billion proposal for Monumental Sports to build a new sports and entertainment district in Alexandria.
The proposed site near the Potomac Yard Metro stop has drawn both excitement and opposition since the announcement more than a month ago. It would house the Washington Capitals and Wizards in Northern Virginia instead of Capital One Arena in the District.
As part of its ongoing efforts to collect input from the area, developer JBG Smith and Monumental Sports held a roundtable discussion at Pork Barrel BBQ with a few small business owners from the Alexandria and Arlington communities on what the development would mean for them. They asked about making sure to have more affordable housing units as a result of new development, being involved in the strong local nonprofit commitment, and promoting minority-owned businesses.
When asked if the roundtable was for show, JBG Smith Executive Vice President Evan Regan-Levine said hearing from community members can make a difference.
Capital One Arena Senior Vice President and General Manager Jordan Silberman told the nearly a dozen attendees that Monumental Sports has every intention to move to Alexandria and be “good neighbors.”
“Are you really doing this?” Bridge Coffee Owner Skyler Kelley asked. “Do I need to make time and start making plans to grow, to expand, to change or to move? We aren’t playing around. We want to know what you’re doing and how you’re going to do it.”
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Virginia) announced the 70-acre site proposal would see a $12 billion economic boost and 30,000 jobs for the area.
Silberman pushed back on issues from protesters who believe the economic projections aren’t accurate.
“Sports-anchored developments actually play off more so than is actually shown in some of the numbers that are out there today,” Silberman said.
Virginia lawmakers have already expressed concerns and little confidence about the lack of details on the impact on the environment, transportation and quality of life. To help get discussions on the Virginia General Assembly rolling, Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax County, introduced legislation to establish a sports authority, which would oversee the project’s funding.
“This is so complicated and there are so many layers and so the committee structure and the ability to debate and ask questions there I think will lend itself to legislators feeling more comfortable with what's proposed,” Alexandria Economic Development Partnership President & CEO Stephanie Landrum told WUSA9. “I'm confident that we built a proposal based on guiding principles both from a city and state level. If we continue to explain that and legislators have time to understand, I'm confident that they will think this is a project worthy of moving forward.”
One of the biggest concerns is addressing the impact of traffic and transportation. Regan-Levin and Landrum said engineers to help the city and state are expected to release data soon, potentially by the end of January.
“I agree that we need to get that information out to folks in the community to have you weigh in and be a part of that process,” Regan-Levine said.
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