Wizards and Caps could be moving to Potomac Yard

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You would think that having so much money between the two of them that Leonsis and Youngkin would have a well polished team of professionals that advise them on how to lobby and be strategic on getting this deal passed in the GA. Instead I read Leonsis didn’t go down to Richmond until yesterday to meet with Lucas. The way this entire process has been played is pathetic and so unprofessional. I’ve worked on arena deals before (specifically Cap One (MCI Center), Nats Park and the Ravens Stadium and there are people whose only jobs are to advise the legislative process and help walk it through. It looks like zero was done here in that regard.

SMH.

Right? It’s like politics 101. What the heck?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Potomac Yards was a terrible location transportation-wise. I just hope that DC's politicians appreciate that they have dodged a bullet, don't get cocky about retaining Monumental, and listen to Monumental's legitimate complaints about out of control crime in DC. Both Monumental and DC need to come to a reasonable deal now, as they both need each other.

Monumental has said crime wasn't the main reason they wanted this deal... but the Council also passed a new crime bill yesterday, anyway.

Not sure I'd expect Leonsis to want to stay in D.C. after all this, though, rather than continue to look for some other new spot elsewhere. (Or try Virginia again next year.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You would think that having so much money between the two of them that Leonsis and Youngkin would have a well polished team of professionals that advise them on how to lobby and be strategic on getting this deal passed in the GA. Instead I read Leonsis didn’t go down to Richmond until yesterday to meet with Lucas. The way this entire process has been played is pathetic and so unprofessional. I’ve worked on arena deals before (specifically Cap One (MCI Center), Nats Park and the Ravens Stadium and there are people whose only jobs are to advise the legislative process and help walk it through. It looks like zero was done here in that regard.

SMH.

NOVA NIMBY is strong. The Reston casino didn't fare any better

Give me a good development plan that doesn't burden taxpayers and residents, and I'm all for it in my backyard. This was none of those things, and a terrible plan by two stupid selfish and entitled people. Supported by a few other bipartisan morons.

Would have provided a boost to economy and a lot of new housing. I guess you’re against housing?

Housing? Have you actually read the plan and/or are you familiar with PY?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You would think that having so much money between the two of them that Leonsis and Youngkin would have a well polished team of professionals that advise them on how to lobby and be strategic on getting this deal passed in the GA. Instead I read Leonsis didn’t go down to Richmond until yesterday to meet with Lucas. The way this entire process has been played is pathetic and so unprofessional. I’ve worked on arena deals before (specifically Cap One (MCI Center), Nats Park and the Ravens Stadium and there are people whose only jobs are to advise the legislative process and help walk it through. It looks like zero was done here in that regard.

SMH.

NOVA NIMBY is strong. The Reston casino didn't fare any better

Give me a good development plan that doesn't burden taxpayers and residents, and I'm all for it in my backyard. This was none of those things, and a terrible plan by two stupid selfish and entitled people. Supported by a few other bipartisan morons.

Would have provided a boost to economy and a lot of new housing. I guess you’re against housing?

Have you ever even been to PY? Do you know anything about its development history?

[Anonymous]

Ted has a dilemma.

He seems to be doubling down on Virginia without doing the work with the legiislators, you know the people who actually write and pass the bills, and frankly at this point I don't know what he or Youngkin can offer, given the amount of support those who opposed this deal have been receiving.

DC has reiterated its $500M offer as of yesterday. So he has a bird in the hand.

Either way, he will have A LOT of work to do with the fans, many of whom, he has poisoned against himself, his son and Monumental in general.

His best option is to sell the teams to someone who actually cares about the teams, the fans and the region, but that isn't going to happen. His next best option is to come back to DC with hat in hand.

What he will do is try to force this through, further alienating people on both sides of the river.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ted has a dilemma.

He seems to be doubling down on Virginia without doing the work with the legiislators, you know the people who actually write and pass the bills, and frankly at this point I don't know what he or Youngkin can offer, given the amount of support those who opposed this deal have been receiving.

DC has reiterated its $500M offer as of yesterday. So he has a bird in the hand.

Either way, he will have A LOT of work to do with the fans, many of whom, he has poisoned against himself, his son and Monumental in general.

His best option is to sell the teams to someone who actually cares about the teams, the fans and the region, but that isn't going to happen. His next best option is to come back to DC with hat in hand.

What he will do is try to force this through, further alienating people on both sides of the river.

Local opposition is coalescing too. Even if he gets the state level approval, Alexandria could vert well say no. I'm surprised Bowser hasn't revised the $500 million downward

[Anonymous]

For me in Del Ray, the single nail in the coffin to this idea is location of stadium relative to fan base. There is NO way in hell that the hockey fans will trek to PY frequently. It's simply a practical decision. Even if they by some miracle fixed congestion issues, taking the metro won't work logistically. By car won't work traffic wise. The pain of getting to PY if you don't live where we live is enough to deter folks from going to stadium. It will result in a waste of space that's a truly a wonderful location for us folks near it. It's a very common sense issue - it's not even about the money it's about the wrong location for a pro hockey stadium when hockey fanatics live in a different state.

[Anonymous]

Loving the crying from scared suburbanites over the failed arena about how Gallery Place is so scary and how the District is a crime infested hellhole. Stay scared and stay angry, cowards.

And most importantly---stay home if you're scared.

[Anonymous]

They should move it to national harbor and run a ferry from dc and Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Loving the crying from scared suburbanites over the failed arena about how Gallery Place is so scary and how the District is a crime infested hellhole. Stay scared and stay angry, cowards.

And most importantly---stay home if you're scared.

Whose crying? The only people behind this are Ted and a few politicians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good luck getting toll relief in Hampton Roads, Senator Lucas. Youngkin is primed to line item veto anything she cares about. Her constituents will suffer due to her unprofessional leadership.

Unprofessional is Leonsis waiting until yesterday to meet with her. That showed a total lack of respect or understanding of Virginia politics.

Funny now how Leonsis complained about DC’s lack of alignment compared to Virginia in this article after he failed to meet with Lucas. Does he understand basic politics?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/02/17/wizards-capitals-leonsis-bowser-youngkin/

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) — who was concerned about what he saw as a lack of progress — had begun drafting his own proposal in late summer, offering the company a share of future taxes generated at the arena to repay Monumental for money it would borrow upfront. He made his own pitch to the owner on Oct. 11, then met repeatedly with Monumental executives through November. Leonsis aides told Mendelson that it was the first time anyone in D.C. government had given them a “piece of paper” and requested that he and the mayor — who had not involved Mendelson in her negotiations — align their efforts.


“They couldn’t get us a coordinated $400 million offer. And it was very frustrating,” Leonsis said. “And then we go to Virginia and it’s a big state with a lot of money with this unbelievable, once-in-a-lifetime piece of land,” he added. “And they are saying, ‘We can do this.’ That’s what the governor said. ‘I can get this done. Are you interested?’ And it was, ‘Yes, we should take the next step because I have nothing firm from the city.’”

[Anonymous]

So, will the RFK site that DC has been authorized to develop be large enough for Leonsis to achieve what he wanted in PY?

I don't understand DC wasting tons of $$$s attracting the Commanders and only 8 home games per year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should move it to national harbor and run a ferry from dc and Virginia.

Prince George’s County would definitely want the Bullets/Wizards and Capitals back. It may also speed up financial support for the bloop (metro’s new blue line loop), so we’ll actually see it get built before 2050.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should move it to national harbor and run a ferry from dc and Virginia.

15,000 fans taking ferrys.

Do you know how many boats that would take?

(I am assuming the other 5,000 fans would drive)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, will the RFK site that DC has been authorized to develop be large enough for Leonsis to achieve what he wanted in PY?

I don't understand DC wasting tons of $$$s attracting the Commanders and only 8 home games per year.

While it is, the traffic/access issues for that area are relatively the same as PY in terms of metro access. Certainly the road access for cars is better. I could see a workable solution there, but it would require a significant upgrade and expansion of the streetcar system as well.