Reply to Wizards and Caps could be moving to Potomac Yard

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]https://www.alxnow.com/2024/02/27/alexandria-republicans-join-opposition-to-potomac-yard-arena/

[b]Northern VA Republicans join opposition to Potomac Yard arena[/b]
[i]
" This is not the type of deal an ordinary retail establishment or restaurateur would get. Instead, it’s a deal reserved for the privileged and well-connected few. This goes against our vision for the future of the party and undermines our party’s values of fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity. We believe in policies that benefit all Virginians, not just the elite few. We cannot support a deal that undermines these core principles."[/i]

I'm not a Republican, but I applaud this message and agree with their words. [/quote]

Watching this project crumble is hilarious. I know a lot of people are against it, but I think the labor union promises didn’t help, and of course making taxpayers fork over money too. [/quote]

It's not just that a lot of people are against it. Aside form Ted and the politicians backing it, no one is for it. The local residents don't want it, state tax payers don't want to pay for it, fans don't want it.... I live in Alexandria and I have yet to hear anyone even on the fence about it; everyone is against it [/quote]

Oh bullschitt. I’m a lifelong Alexandrian and at least half the people I know are for it, myself included. Do better. Surely you know that the loudest voices aren’t always representative of majority opinion. [/quote]

I've lived in Alexandria for 15 years, worked in it for 25. I don't know of one single person who's for it. Not one.

I would say you're the outlier.

But, we can put it to a referendum and see what the city residents really think. [/quote]

DP, I've also lived in Alexandria for 15 years, and I'm for it too. Lots of people I know are for it too. But, the people opposed are pretty vocal, and mildly intimidating in their opposition, so when I encounter that I just say nothing. No need to fight with a neighbor about a stadium on behalf of a billionaire.

That said, I agree with a referendum. Nobody on council nor the mayor ran on this issue, so it's not like they have an implied mandate.
[/quote]

Can I ask genuinely why you support the arena?

The jobs it "creates" are either going to be temporary construction, or imported from the existing stadium. It's not like the jobs are going to be brand new contributions.

There is no traffic solution. We all know that.

Do you really think it will be such a big economic success? With the 100 million spend by the city of Alexandria, and billion dollars by the state of Virginia?

I sincerely want to know what grounds you support it's addition to PY.[/quote]

PP you're responding to. I've listened to all of the sessions the City has held on this, and while I'm not an economist - at all - it does seem like this is a good revenue generator for us. It seems like they've taken a conservative approach in their estimates, and that this won't cost us, as residents, any money.

Besides the economics, I like the idea of a concert venue within the City limits. The Birchmere is great, but it's small and doesn't attract many acts I'm interested in. I like the idea of taking my kids to a safe sporting facility a couple times a year. Also, it just seems fun, and way more entertaining than office buildings or condos. I don't drive over there very often, so honestly I don't care passionately about the traffic, although it does seem that they have a framework for dealing with that. Although I drive most places, I do see this as a place that I would take public transportation to get to.

The jobs aspect isn't that high of a concern for me. [/quote]

It isn't a revenue generator though. All of the money that was supposed to go back into the coffers from the Metro station will now go to the arena. Plus, if they don't meet projections on things like ticket sales and concessions, then the taxpayers have to cover the shortfall. So given the transportation issues, the likelihood of short ticket sales (or non-existent ticket sales in the case of the Wizards) the project will be vacuuming money away from Alexandria and into the Arena.[/quote]

Like I said, I've only been listening to the many sessions the City has held on this, and I guess I believe their estimates. I understand that people don't, but it seems like they are well researched and valid, so I'm going to go with that. I don't have the background, inclination or means to do my own research or studies on this, and I'm an optimist. I think this can work.[/quote]

I guess you aren't familiar with the national studies around this. Here, I will help you out:

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/sports-jobs-taxes-are-new-stadiums-worth-the-cost/
[i]
these arguments contain bad economic reasoning that leads to overstatement of the benefits of stadiums. Economic growth takes place when a community’s resources—people, capital investments, and natural resources like land—become more productive. Increased productivity can arise in two ways: from economically beneficial specialization by the community for the purpose of trading with other regions or from local value added that is higher than other uses of local workers, land, and investments. Building a stadium is good for the local economy only if a stadium is the most productive way to make capital investments and use its workers.[/i]

The existing plans for the site that include housing and retail are far more productive and income generating for the city and state, than the arena proposal. Also, the numbers generated that you are relying on have expectations that do not match the current reality for the teams.[/quote]

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