Politics & Government

D.C. United, Mayor Reach Tentative Agreement on New SW Stadium

The stadium would be located at Buzzard Point in Southwest D.C.

Mayor Vincent Gray will officially announce an agreement Thursday to keep Major League Soccer team D.C. United in Washington, D.C. with a new stadium with seating for up to 25,000 fans and restaurants nearby all located at Buzzard Point in Southwest, blocks from Nationals Park, the Washington Post reports

D.C. United currently plays at RFK Stadium in Southeast D.C.

Gray's office sent out a cryptic note to reporters Wednesday evening that read simply "Mayor Vincent C. Gray, City Administrator Allen Y. Lew, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor L. Hoskins and other officials and representatives of partner organizations will make a major announcement." Location TBD.

The Washington Post now reports that the stadium deal is the subject of Wednesday's meeting. 

“Our vision is that we would have two great stadiums on this side of the bridge,” Lew told the Post

The proposed site sits between Half and Second streets SW.

The city and the team's ownership would potentially split the costs of building the stadium, according to the Post, and the team would have a 25- to 35-year lease for the land. That lease would allow the club to build restaurants, retail and possibly a hotel on the property.

The Post's Soccer Insider blogger, Steven Goff, raises concerns about the location because of its distance from the Metro station, but says he sees the bigger obstacle being the District Council, which will have to approve any agreement, and neighborhood objections to another large sporting arena. 

"United has taken the field with its strongest lineup yet. Whether it scores is another matter," he writes

Read the full report on the plan on Business Insider at The Washington Post


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here