Photo by mosley.brian.

Sure, Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) was recently demoted from his beloved perch as chair of the D.C. Council’s transportation committee. But he was given the parting gift of control over the District’s Office of Planning. And it appears as if one of the first things Wells is focusing his planning efforts on might be a new stadium for D.C. United.

The Post reports that Wells is floating a plan to close the 35-year-old D.C. Jail at 1901 D Street SE and move it to Buzzard Point, which in turn could open the door for the construction of a soccer stadium.

The idea obviously requires a lot more refinement (like whether Wells’ assertion that the new jail could be built on operational savings is actually going to fly), but it’s certainly an interesting concept. There’s no doubt that developers looking to refurbish Hill East would like to rid themselves of the unattractive, out-of-date and less-than-neighborly jail. Of course, whether or not Wells currently has the political capital which will be necessary to make a land swap with Akridge, the developer that owns the Buzzard Point land the new jail would be located on, happen is unclear. (Wells, for his part, told the Post that “putting me in charge of the office of planning was a very, very dangerous thing to do.”)

Now, reviewing the pros and cons of a United stadium at the location seems incredibly premature. (It is just a few blocks south of RFK, so that’s probably enough to go on for now.) But for supporters of the team, it’s refreshing that, among such overwhelming evidence that the city’s leadership would offer a collective shrug if United were to leave the decrepit halls of RFK Stadium for greener pastures (or, you know, Baltimore), it has at least one booster on the Council in Wells. Plus, the Post’s report will serve to buoy fan hopes that there’s actually a developer who’s interested in building a soccer stadium somewhere in the District.

We wouldn’t recommend United fans get their hopes up — but it’s something.