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Washington Capitals and Wizard moving to Virginia.


Gregg

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About time.  Should have never left the confines of Maryland.  Virginia is a business friendly Commonwealth and the sports franchises will do well.  Not too dissimilar to Philly teams going across the river to Camden NJ. Gotta go where the cost of doing business is more favorable to the risk takers 

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More precisely stadium in Potomac Yard in Alexandria by 2028.  This will result in major traffic issues. At least there is a metro station now.

 

https://www.alxnow.com/2023/12/13/just-in-washington-capitals-and-wizards-are-officially-moving-to-potomac-yard/

1 hour ago, The Poojer said:

About time.  Should have never left the confines of Maryland.  Virginia is a business friendly Commonwealth and the sports franchises will do well.  Not too dissimilar to Philly teams going across the river to Camden NJ. Gotta go where the cost of doing business is more favorable to the risk takers 

 

The current team is in China block not Maryland.    WTF team is in Maryland.

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11 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

More precisely stadium in Potomac Yard in Alexandria by 2028.  This will result in major traffic issues. At least there is a metro station now.

 

https://www.alxnow.com/2023/12/13/just-in-washington-capitals-and-wizards-are-officially-moving-to-potomac-yard/

 

The current team is in China block not Maryland.    WTF team is in Maryland.

What’s China block? He means they left their original home in Landover, Maryland to move to DC.

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28 minutes ago, PastaJoe said:

What’s China block? He means they left their original home in Landover, Maryland to move to DC.

 

DC had a Chinatown for a long period of time but when convention center and arena was added Chinatown shrunk to one block.

My wife who is Chinese and I used to shop and eat in Chinatown before the changes,

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g28970-d482045-Reviews-Chinatown-Washington_DC_District_of_Columbia.html

 

chinatown-arch.jpg

 

This small, historic area east of Downtown Washington was once home to thousands of Chinese immigrants. Today, fewer than 300 remain, with most residents living in the Wah Luck House designed by architect Alfred Liu, who added modern Chinese design motifs and red-paneled balconies.

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19 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Weird move. I love the current location of the Caps stadium in DC. Probably my favorite little area in DC, and quick walk to Chinatown too.


Actually Chinatown area had extended to where arena is. . There had been claims it was a historical area but the arena was railroaded thru approval.

Now they have many businesses dependent upon area for customers and when it is moved likely a number of businesses will shutdown.

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On 12/15/2023 at 9:54 PM, Limeaid said:

More precisely stadium in Potomac Yard in Alexandria by 2028.  This will result in major traffic issues. At least there is a metro station now.

 

https://www.alxnow.com/2023/12/13/just-in-washington-capitals-and-wizards-are-officially-moving-to-potomac-yard/

 

The current team is in China block not Maryland.    WTF team is in Maryland.


 

I live less than a mile from the proposed new site.  I work in downtown DC area.

 

Arena was previously in Landover in suburban Maryland and thrn moved to downtown DC area near the central portion of DC where many of the subway lines get to.

 

The problems with the current location —

 

post Covid downtown section which runs from the arena are to George Washington university area north of the White House/ mall area is 90%+ office buildings and hotels with lityke residential areas.  
 

When Covid happened this area got gutted. You used to be able to be placed anywhere and a Starbucks could be found within in 3 blocks.  Post Covid only about 3 or so survived.

 

This area was loaded with lobby firms. They moved offices to more mixed use neighborhoods where things still survived.  
 

today buildings are only about 50% capacity if that.  There is long term concerns in this area.  You are losing many of the higher paying jobs.

 

on the new location——

 

this area was an old rail yard which is how it got the name Potomac yard.  the area was roughly the Potomac river to the east along with main rail line/ parallel subway, GE parkway, there is a creek called 4 mile run thst makes thr Arlington/ Alexandria boundary with the southern end of DCA at the mouth of the creek.  US 1 on the west.
 

In the late 90s they built a large big box shopping center with a regal cinema behind it.  The lot was along US 1 just inside Alexandria.  The big box retailers currently there are target, Best Buy, Barnes and noble, michaels, old navy, pet store chain, previously their was a pier one and a local grocery chain but now thst has become a total wine, and tj max moving to thst space.

 

south of the shopping center they constructed primarily residential apartments/ condo area with bottom floor having retail space.  One of local supermarket chains, Giant,  has a store under one of these ( Giant and Tops used to be owned by the same company)

 

the metro station has bern talked about since this lot and planned development occurred. Pre Covid they final said they’d do it. Covid delayed it.  The movie theater closed ehrn Covid happened.

 

pre Covid there was a redevelopment plan for this shopping area besides the metro station.  As part of Amazon HQ bid they would build a Virginia tech campus in this new area that wouldn’t be far from Amazon hq.  Along with Virginia tech thst would tear down the lot and build high rise mix use buildings with retail space on the lower floors

 

right now they are in phase 1. This is the area between the rail tracks and the local side street behind thr shopping center.  The new arena would go in this area.  Building in herr won’t cause much traffic problems. Currently this road is already down to 1 lane each way ( from 2 lanes each way) due to building construction.

 

phase 2 is the northern part of the shopping center

 

phase 3 is southern end.

around 2030 or so is when it was planned to be completed.

 

traffic flow in this area……

 

because of the Potomac river and 4 mile run creek there are traffic choke points due to limited bridge crossings.

 

across the Potomac you have 395 to the north and the beltway 495/95 to the south. There are a few other bridges north of 395.  About a half mile south is an entry point to the parkway.  US 1 is the primary north / south route between 395 and beltway.  Between US 1 and 395 there are a few local roads connecting the two.

 

along US 1 it’s 2-3 lanes each way.  In old town Alexandria US 1 splits to local roads that are one way. George Washington parkway becomes a city street in Alexandria called Washington before it becomes a parkway agsin.

 

the plan is designed around most people getting there via metro/ subway system.  The redevelopment area was planning on having some parking garage structure.

 

 

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I have not been to China Block since I got a fake ticket.  DC ticket person copied an old ticket including a typo they made.

 

I told them I was work at the time, can verify including garage ticket.

I got response "you are responsible for any tickets for anyone who borrowed your car.  If you do not pay ticket we will seize car when it is found in DC."

 

I got a letter saying if I wanted dispute this I would need to go to court.

Going to court requires a payment, where you are successful or not.

 

I sent back copies of the two tickets showing mistakes repeated on both tickets.

I also sent copies of multiple receipts from businesses in China Block circling sales tax.

I am sending copies of this letter with attachments to each of the businesses telling them I will not be using their services.

I am also sending copy of letter and attachments to newspapers.

 

I stopped receiving letters but I only go to DC now when I can park not on street.

One of the businesses I visit told me give me notice and we will move your car to employee reserved parking.  They did not seem surprised about out of DC parkers getting tickets.

 

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  • 3 months later...

Wizards and Capitals NOT moving to Virginia,

 

Quote

In a rapidly reconstructed agreement, D.C. will now spend $515 million over the next three years to upgrade the venue, while Leonsis and MSE will sign a lease keeping the teams where they are until at least 2050. The agreement also contemplates a nearly 200,000-square-foot expansion for MSE of its footprint into the neighboring Gallery Place, allowing Leonsis to get at least a portion of the additional space that was fundamental to the Virginia plan.


And you could see THIS coming:

Quote

To be clear, this is anything but an independent change of heart by Leonsis, as his hand was forced on multiple fronts. He and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, also a staunch advocate of the Alexandria project, ran into fierce and immovable resistance from powerful state Sen. L. Louise Lucas. Largely through her extensive influence, public funding for the Virginia project never passed Virginia’s senate and wasn’t part of the next budget. As news broke of the revived D.C. deal, Lucas continued her savage social media criticism of the now-dead Virginia proposal, posting on X “FAFO,” short for “f*** around and find out.”

 

Still, that hasn’t stopped Youngkin and other allies of the proposed arena from criticizing the rapid turn of events, lamenting how the deal “just went up in smoke.”

 

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On 12/15/2023 at 9:54 PM, Punching Bag said:

More precisely stadium in Potomac Yard in Alexandria by 2028.  This will result in major traffic issues. At least there is a metro station now.

 

https://www.alxnow.com/2023/12/13/just-in-washington-capitals-and-wizards-are-officially-moving-to-potomac-yard/

 

The current team is in China block not Maryland.    WTF team is in Maryland.

There is no such thing as urban planning in NOVA; it's a hell hole.

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

There is no such thing as urban planning in NOVA; it's a hell hole.

 

 

 

I agree.  VA does not require those who do large projects to contribute to community services including schools it impacts for that takes away from their property rights

The only leverage they appear is zoning using requested zoning changes to allow developers to have them with agreement to create subsidized housing surrounded by very large, very expensive properties.

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1 hour ago, stuvian said:

Much of the right wing press made this out as a DC Dems issue of uncontrolled crime near the current Capitals and Wizards venues. I've never heard that substantiated elsewhere.

 

https://thespectator.com/life/sports-latest-victim-washington-dc-crime-wizards-capitals/

 

Some of it MAY be opposition to VA governor support since he has been in constant conflict with large portion of Northern Virginia but not hear anything other than locals being very unhappy on impact on traffic.  Every time a project developers proclaims metro will be handling excess traffic but it rarely does.

 

 

Metro is always complaining about lack of funding and I used to agree with them until they decided to go electronic pass or you cannot use.  It does no good for taxpayers required to have to have an electronic card to use bus and then say bus needs.  People use buses for unexacted reasons like forgot wallet, wallet locked in car, car failure, etc. where in other case they could just bottom a few dollar bills and get home or where they need to go and return later.  They also invalidated paper stored value cards and if you did not convert them into electronic cards money irretrievable - meaning they got free money. 

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On 3/30/2024 at 10:08 PM, stuvian said:

Much of the right wing press made this out as a DC Dems issue of uncontrolled crime near the current Capitals and Wizards venues. I've never heard that substantiated elsewhere.

 

https://thespectator.com/life/sports-latest-victim-washington-dc-crime-wizards-capitals/

 

 

I live in the DC area.  I can substantiate that crime is again a major issue in the District, not only in the Chinatown area but throughout the city.

 

https://wtop.com/dc/2024/03/12-year-old-2-teen-girls-charged-with-beating-64-year-old-man-to-death/

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