Two D.C. Council committees advanced legislation Tuesday allowing for the use of eminent domain in the construction of a $300 million professional soccer stadium in Southwest.
The latest proposal for the stadium deal removes from the table a land swap with developer Akridge that traded the city-owned Franklin D. Reeves Municipal Center on 14th and U streets in Northwest for cash and 2 acres of land in Buzzard Point in the stadium’s footprint. The swap was considered key to the original deal proposed by D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray.
Both the council’s Committee on Government Operations and its Committee on Economic Development approved the amended plan for the stadium, which will house the D.C. United.
Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser, chairman of the economic development committee, said Tuesday that the “costs associated the with the stadium act outweigh the benefits” and she wanted to remove the Reeves Center from the swap so that the city could retain more input over future development of the area and hopefully earn more money on the open market for a sale.
The bill will now go before the full council for a vote Tuesday.
While the measure allows for eminent domain to be used to acquire the land for a price negotiated in court, Ms. Bowser said she remains hopeful that Akridge will be able to come to a new agreement with the city for the land.
SEE ALSO: For first-place D.C. United, fight for relevance hinges on new stadium
• Andrea Noble can be reached at anoble@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.