28 May 2008

Stadium Announcement coming soon?

The intertubes have been leaking rumors of a proposed announcement soon and today's edition of the post states D.C. Council Crafting Plan to Pay $150 Million for Soccer Stadium.
The city would finance construction bonds with excess tax revenue being collected by the District to pay for the baseball stadium. D.C. United would be responsible for paying for any costs above $150 million, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan is still being finalized.
I'm hopeful that the deal can get done given the tight timetable it is now under. But, I'm also wondering if its the best deal that the team can get. How important is it to be in the city, as opposed to say, MD, if Maryland will give the team a better financial deal in the long run (chip in more money for construction, more favorable lease terms, etc).
David Nakamura covers Fenty's visit to the Anacostia Coordinating Council as well.
Fenty has reportedly been reluctant to take the lead on the project, considering he voted against the baseball stadium as a council member. He answered somewhat cryptically, saying he hoped a deal would be done soon, but adding: "We're not there yet, as of"-- he looked at his watch -- "7:15 p.m. tonight."

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5 Comments:

At 28 May, 2008 12:15, Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's McFarlane and Chang's money; when faced with two options, I don't think they'll pick the one that clearly hurts themselves. If they go for the city, it'll be because they think that *is* the best option financially.

 
At 28 May, 2008 15:21, Anonymous Anonymous said...

If they want fans from VA and probably most of the district to keep coming to the games, then keeping the team in DC is essential.

I for one will not make the trip to MD, and with the high percentages of latino immigrants in NOVA, I don't think that they want to move very far away.

It is a balancing act, better stadium terms vs. larger fan base. I agree with Bootsy, though, McFarlane and Chang are extremely successful business men and they are obviously in the best position to determine for themseleves what is best for their own pocketbooks.

Let's hope that is also what is best for the team...

 
At 28 May, 2008 20:24, Blogger Martin Shatzer said...

You won't make the trip to MD? Seriously? The proposed alternate locations of New Carrolton or Greenbelt are only 10-15 minutes west of RFK. It's not like they're talking about moving the team to Baltimore.

 
At 29 May, 2008 16:22, Blogger JCM said...

People who live in Virginia and rarely go to Maryland really don't have a good sense of what is a close in suburb of DC and what is far away. And I don't blame them. I grew up here and I don't know where some of the Virginia cities are outside the beltway. Gainsville? Merrifield? Spotsylvania? West? South? No idea without looking at a map. However, if the stadium is on the Metro, then anyone who says that is a deal breaker is just trying to be difficult. To get to College Park is an additional 15 minutes on Metro. If you plan to drive it's an extra 30 minutes. If you want to go badly enough, those are tolerable numbers.

 
At 02 June, 2008 12:14, Anonymous Anonymous said...

check out a video of Quaranta and Moreno on the new stadium talks.

http://www.comcastsportsnet.tv/pages/dcunited

 

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