Wizards and Caps could be moving to Potomac Yard

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's see. If you live in Loudon or outer Fairfax, you are driving across NoVa during rush hour. What fun? Or, maybe, you decide to take the Metro, meaning that you are heading into DC (near Capital One Arena) before heading back out to Alexandria. How to make the trip longer for NoVa residents. Great move!

How late do you think rush hour is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Abe Pollin trusted Leonsis. Pollin moved the team into DC to help the city. Leonsis is pulling a Dan Snyder and will be cursed with a losing franchise. How you can’t build a NBA , NHL juggernaut in DC with no teams in Maryland and Virginia shows you are a loser. It’s probably the most massive concentrated uncovered market by one team in each sport in the country. Leonsis is a fatter, sloppier version of Snyder.

Leonsis and Snyder are all moving their operations to VA for tax reasons. No estate tax in VA and these guys are entering the final decade of their lives. This is all an estate tax play.

Possibly. But presumably Ted at least has had his estate tax plan in place for a decade plus. So should be less of a concern.

[Anonymous]

I live in Alexandria. It isn’t all sunshine and rainbows trying to get to Cap One Arena for us as it is. Or to Nats Park or Audi Field. None of these areas are even remotely safe and I hate driving to them. Taking the metro doesn’t seem so bad going but getting home is a completely different story. And then Ubers are super hard to get leaving.

I’ve spent decades driving out Camden Yards, Fed Ex Field, RFK, Nats Park, MCI/Verizon/Cap One for sports and concerts. People being drama kings and queens over having to get to Potomac Yard, when it’s like 1/2 mile to the DC border, sound like lunatics. If y’all hate coming over here, why do I see so many DC and MD plates all over Alexandria every single day. No one is begging you to sacrifice and drive across the bridge. Stay home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh HELL no. The Maryland drivers already make driving on Rt 1 a constant shitshow. And where would it even go??

Don’t worry MD drivers won’t go to VA.

When I go to the Potomac Yard Target the lot is full of MD plates.

It’s interesting because I once stopped by the Oxon Hill, MD Target across the bridge and there were hardly any VA plates. I guess a lot of MD residents like making the trip to Potomac Yard?? Or is it because a lot of MD residents commute to NoVA for work and go by Potomac Yard on the way home?

I also see tons of MD license plates shopping at Potomac Yards and in Clarendon/Arlington.

But some could just be VA residents committing (vehicle property) tax fraught. There has got to be 100s of those. Maryland is obviously not interested in giving their plates only to those who can prove residency in MD with more than a relative’s utility bill…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Abe Pollin trusted Leonsis. Pollin moved the team into DC to help the city. Leonsis is pulling a Dan Snyder and will be cursed with a losing franchise. How you can’t build a NBA , NHL juggernaut in DC with no teams in Maryland and Virginia shows you are a loser. It’s probably the most massive concentrated uncovered market by one team in each sport in the country. Leonsis is a fatter, sloppier version of Snyder.

Leonsis and Snyder are all moving their operations to VA for tax reasons. No estate tax in VA and these guys are entering the final decade of their lives. This is all an estate tax play.

Snyder? He gone.

[Anonymous]

I lay this at Bowser's feet. She's a failed leader. Downtown DC has died under her watch as she has sat by while residents are overwhelmed by crime that chisels away at our sense of safety and contentment. I worked downtown as well as live in the district and each day at the office and I go outside. I am just shocked by how many businesses are gone, how many empty storefronts. I'm sure residence can count on increased taxes to make up for everything that we're going to be losing in tax income. And this all went down while she flew halfway around the world halfway for a global summit. Her house is on fire. She needed to be here. I loath her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in Alexandria. It isn’t all sunshine and rainbows trying to get to Cap One Arena for us as it is. Or to Nats Park or Audi Field. None of these areas are even remotely safe and I hate driving to them. Taking the metro doesn’t seem so bad going but getting home is a completely different story. And then Ubers are super hard to get leaving.

I’ve spent decades driving out Camden Yards, Fed Ex Field, RFK, Nats Park, MCI/Verizon/Cap One for sports and concerts. People being drama kings and queens over having to get to Potomac Yard, when it’s like 1/2 mile to the DC border, sound like lunatics. If y’all hate coming over here, why do I see so many DC and MD plates all over Alexandria every single day. No one is begging you to sacrifice and drive across the bridge. Stay home.

You live in Alexandria. You hop on the yellow line and without a transfer, are there in 25 minutes. That is roughly the same for everyone else in the region to get to Gallery Place. Now, for everyone else how had a 25-30 minute commute to the arena, getting to Potomac Yards will add at least that same 25 minutes each way on top of what they already have.

That 1/2 mile to the border includes a rail track, a parkway and airport and a river. Good luck commuting over those.

[Anonymous]

I’d love to take my kids to games at Potomac Yard.

When DC prioritizes public safety again, opportunities will return. For the last years, I’m increasingly wary taking my kids into many parts of DC, unfortunately, and we used to do a lot in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Detroit Pistons still had a huge following when they moved to Detroit’s exburbs in Auburn Hills. The Caps and Wizards will be fine.

The Wizards won't be, but, they've been so bad it won't matter. They need to rebuild the fanbase from scratch regardless.

The Caps will be fine since there are more than enough NoVa fans to replace the ones they'll lose. Traffic will be horrendous on Washington Blvd, 110 amd Glebe on game nights.

The Mystics wouldn't even get enough fans to pay the nightly electric bill if they moved.

[Anonymous]

For a year, my daughter took the metro from Bethesda to King St and back. The commute was over an hour each way, and sometimes considerably longer. With Metro cutting back, that commute has not changed and more likely has lengthened. Those commute from Fairfax Count face the same issue and time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh HELL no. The Maryland drivers already make driving on Rt 1 a constant shitshow. And where would it even go??

Don’t worry MD drivers won’t go to VA.

When I go to the Potomac Yard Target the lot is full of MD plates.

It’s interesting because I once stopped by the Oxon Hill, MD Target across the bridge and there were hardly any VA plates. I guess a lot of MD residents like making the trip to Potomac Yard?? Or is it because a lot of MD residents commute to NoVA for work and go by Potomac Yard on the way home?

I also see tons of MD license plates shopping at Potomac Yards and in Clarendon/Arlington.

But some could just be VA residents committing (vehicle property) tax fraught. There has got to be 100s of those. Maryland is obviously not interested in giving their plates only to those who can prove residency in MD with more than a relative’s utility bill…

Oxen Hill and Suitland are close to Potomac Yards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God, the number of effing scooters that are going to be left all over the path.

This is also going to increase crime monumentally in Alexandria. F you, Youngkin.

Why is this going to increase crime monumentally ?

Agree that is an odd take.

There is already a lot of development planned for that area, this will help support local businesses. Before DC completely dropped any pretense at civic order, Gallery Place was a thriving destination with the arena as the anchor - restaurants, bars, shopping, it was a fun day/evening out.

Often arenas are put in areas to help gentrification of sketchy neighborhoods, I don't see how in and of themselves they bring crime. Odd take. Potomac Yards is going to be booming.

I think this, too. This is going to be great for the area - if they can be smart about traffic and parking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Alexandria. It isn’t all sunshine and rainbows trying to get to Cap One Arena for us as it is. Or to Nats Park or Audi Field. None of these areas are even remotely safe and I hate driving to them. Taking the metro doesn’t seem so bad going but getting home is a completely different story. And then Ubers are super hard to get leaving.

I’ve spent decades driving out Camden Yards, Fed Ex Field, RFK, Nats Park, MCI/Verizon/Cap One for sports and concerts. People being drama kings and queens over having to get to Potomac Yard, when it’s like 1/2 mile to the DC border, sound like lunatics. If y’all hate coming over here, why do I see so many DC and MD plates all over Alexandria every single day. No one is begging you to sacrifice and drive across the bridge. Stay home.

You live in Alexandria. You hop on the yellow line and without a transfer, are there in 25 minutes. That is roughly the same for everyone else in the region to get to Gallery Place. Now, for everyone else how had a 25-30 minute commute to the arena, getting to Potomac Yards will add at least that same 25 minutes each way on top of what they already have.

That 1/2 mile to the border includes a rail track, a parkway and airport and a river. Good luck commuting over those.

DP, I also live in Alexandria and the metro isn't easily accessible to the vast majority of city residents. It's certainly not safe to walk or bike to the one closest to me (Van Dorn).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Detroit Pistons still had a huge following when they moved to Detroit’s exburbs in Auburn Hills. The Caps and Wizards will be fine.

That is because they moves closer to their fans at a time that the city population was shrinking dramatically. Where do the Pistons play now? Because that would be the more important parallel.

I lived in the city and still trekked out to Auburn Hills. And there were plenty of others. They picked up new fans in AH too.

I also trekked out to Balmer when the Washington Bullets (now Wizards) played out there. And I didn’t own a car. Many of my friends and colleagues went there from Alexandria and Arlington. Heck, everyone even went to Os games (and my family still does) when they were the Balmer-DC area team.

The Waahington teams will be fine. They are still in the DC area core.

[Anonymous]

They will need to time the lights through Old Town better to allow people to go from the WW bridge up to Potomac Yards with minimal stops.