An artist’s rendering of the DC United Stadium Site. (Photo Courtesy DC United)
D.C. United fans holding out hope for a stadium-related Christmas miracle may just get their wish this year: multiple sources have confirmed to DCist that the city administrator’s office is on track to have a stadium proposal to the Council sometime before the holiday, allowing them to take the matter up early in the new year.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Office of the City Administrator declined to go into detail, as the stadium project as a whole is still in its “earliest stages,” but also seemed to confirm the information: “It is my understanding that we are still on track to get something to the Council before Christmas.” With a holiday break, Council review should come sometime in January.
It’s good news for a fan-base that’s been waiting for any sliver of stadium-related info. D.C. United themselves have remained tight-lipped about the agreement, as have the land-owners and government officials involved in the pact. November 15 — the deadline originally set for submittal — came and went without any activity, a sign to some that negotiations were proving a bit more complex than originally anticipated.
United have languished at RFK Stadium for years, struggling to keep their heads above water while they’re lapped by most every other franchise in Major League Soccer. Denied of several basic revenue streams — parking and concessions among them — DCU have operated in the red for years. Results on the pitch have followed suit: they set multiple records for all-time futility in 2013, and fans have responded accordingly, turning out in smaller and smaller numbers.
United’s most recent stadium endeavor — one that follows several failed attempts — is perhaps its most ambitious and complex: they aim to build a state-of-the-art, soccer-specific facility at Buzzard Point, a largely undeveloped swath of land just south of Nationals Ballpark. The city has been tasked with providing the land the stadium is set to sit on, which involves purchasing land from several parties and swapping land with another, while the team will fully finance the stadium itself. As Mayor Vince Gray often puts it: “The city is handling the horizontal work, while the team handles the vertical work.”
It may sound simple, but it’s not. Central to the deal is a land swap: D.C. is set to relinquish ownership of the Reeves Center, its municipal complex at 14th and U Streets NW, and the land it sits on, replacing it with a new complex in Anacostia. In exchange, Akridge* — one of the land holders at Buzzard Point — would relinquish control of much of the land the club and city need for the stadium, and provide cash to make up the difference in value between the two sites.
Much is at stake, especially in the U Street Corridor, a neighborhood that’s gone from the epicenter of the District’s most violent race riots to a thriving commercial and residential district in less than 40 years. The Reeves Center itself has played a key part in the area’s development. More recently though, many lower-income residents have been driven out of the neighborhood as high-rise after high-rise has sprouted up along 14th Street. Akridge, who would probably be best served by tossing up another luxury apartment building, may look to continue this trend.
It’s a concern that weighs heavily on Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), who expressed reserved support for the stadium resolution during a phone interview Monday. “It’s so easy now, if you look at the 14th Street corridor, to say apartments, down floor retail. It’s a snap,” he said. “Developers, like most people in America, see that as an easy profit.”
“On the other hand, putting what is a major office building at 14th and U may be a little bit more challenging. But that’s what we need,” continued Graham, suggesting that a major corporation might consider calling the parcel of land its home, filling the ground floor of its headquarters with shops and restaurants. “I know it’s more of a challenge. I know people would rather have easy money than hard money, but that’s what we need.”
Multiple Councilmembers, Graham included, have also expressed a desire to retain several key features of the current Reeves Center site: a home for the D.C. LGBT Community Center, the U Street Farmer’s Market and space for small businesses and local non-profits.
And then there’s the issue of transparency, one the city has largely failed on during negotiations with Akridge and the other parties involved in getting the deal done. “One of the mistakes the administration is making is not bringing the Council into the discussion,” veteran Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) said. “In particular the people like myself who’ve done these deals a number of times. Frankly I find it kind of odd that they’re negotiating in the dark, and excluding people who know how to do these things. I do find that kind of odd.”
Graham shared Evans’ concerns: “I think this is a very complicated deal. And it’s been made that way, made to be complicated, because of its nature. There are just a lot of details that are not worked out. We don’t have the appraisals of the land and buildings in front of us. Without that, you don’t have anything.”
As for not getting the proposal in November, as originally promised, neither Graham nor Evans seemed bothered by the protracted nature of the negotiations, instead suggesting that the city should take its time to get the deal right. “[The timing] doesn’t concern me as much as the substance,” Graham said. “If this delay is happening for whatever reason, and the substance is better, than that’s OK. What’s the hurry?”
“This has been going on for almost 10 years,” added Evans, chuckling. “This isn’t something that’s come up yesterday. What I’m concerned with is that we get it right.”
D.C. United didn’t offer any comment when contacted in regards to the negotiations, citing their ongoing nature. They’ve remained quiet for several months now — something that’s frustrated many fans and media members, but something that’s not entirely incomprehensible. The club has been inches away from a stadium deal multiple times, only to see their plans vaporize.
It’s a disappointment that’s caused many of their fans to take up a “I’ll believe it when a shovel’s in the ground” mentality. United are not yet ready to talk specifics of stadium design, not ready to build hype. Certainly the last thing they’re seeking to do, at this point, is set any false expectation.
Nevertheless, many fans of the black and red seem to be looking at the stadium deal as a foregone conclusion. Whether they once again end up black and blue, that remains to be seen.
Sarah Anne Hughes contributed reporting
*The spelling of Akridge has been corrected.
