The jockeying for a new Washington Commanders stadium is about to heat up.
District officials are making plans to create a stadium authority that would be used as a funding mechanism for a new football stadium for the Commanders on the RFK site.
DC Events is the quasi-government arm of the District that manages sports and entertainment facilities in the city.
The stadium authority would be used to create financing by issuing bonds. It’s not clear if the two entities would conflict with other duties and purposes.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has been a strong advocate of building a new stadium to bring the football team back to the city, after late owner Jack Kent Cooke moved them out to the suburbs following the 1996 season to their current home in Landover, where their lease with Prince George’s County expires in 2027.
It could cost the city at least $1 billion for its share of a new stadium on the RFK site — the land owned by the federal government but soon may be under the control of the city.
Legislation to lease the land to the District for 99 years passed the House in February and soon may come up for a vote in the Senate.
The city just agreed to give Monumental Sports and Entertainment owner Transparent Ted Leonsis $515 million for Capital One Arena renovations after Transparent Ted’s embarrassing plan to move his Wizards and Capital franchises to a new arena to be built in Alexandria fell apart.
It’s not clear how much public money will be committed to a new Commanders stadium. Owner Josh Harris is involved in a battle with his Philadelphia business partners to build a new $1.5 billion downtown arena for his Philadelphia 76ers — with no public money.
He had to hustle to put together an ownership group of 15 investors to come up with the $6 billion needed to meet Dan Snyder’s asking price for the Commanders.
The new owners are also spending $75 million to upgrade the worst stadium in the league.
The city needs to get moving in its bid to be the new home for the Commanders, because their chief competitor, the Maryland Stadium Authority, is open for business.
After giving $600 million each to the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles for stadium renovations to their respective homes, the authority is planning on building a new soccer stadium with D.C. United in Baltimore for minor league soccer.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has made it clear he intends to fight for the Commanders to remain in Prince Georges County. The state has already approved $400 million for redevelopment near Commanders Field (FedEx opted out of its naming rights deal with the team last year).
Building a new stadium next to Commanders Field remains the path of least resistance.
Team officials under Snyder’s ownership discussed plans for a new stadium closer to the existing Morgan Station Metro stop, which is about a mile from the existing stadium.
Many NFL teams have opted to build new stadiums next to the existing ones. Both the Giants and the Eagles built their stadiums next to the old ones. The Titans are building their new domed stadium next to their current playing facility, as are the Buffalo Bills. The Chicago Bears, after looking at various sites outside the city, have opted to build their new stadium next to Soldier Field.
Building a stadium is a complicated process with many obstacles to overcome. Like I said, putting it next door is the path of least resistance.
Virginia? A joke after its latest debacle with Transparent Ted’s fumbled Alexandria arena. Then again, it’s never been a serious contender, with two failed attempts to create a Virginia Stadium Authority and no viable location for a new stadium.
Commanders’ owners would prefer to be back in the city on the RFK site, according to sources, and it remains the sentimental favorite among the fan base.
The team made a move to energize the lobbying for a new stadium this week by hiring Capitol Hill veteran Kirtan Mehta as vice president of public affairs. Mehta, a lawyer who has worked for Sen. John Hickenlooper and Sen. Joe Manchin, “will focus heavily on the team’s development of a new stadium, including liaising with key outside stakeholders, including elected officials, league officials, fans, sponsors and community organizations,” according to the team’s press release.
“Kirtan is a skilled leader with a wealth of experience building relationships and ensuring organizations positively impact the communities they represent,” team President Jason Wright said in a statement.
The team release said Mehta graduated from Northwestern University in 2004 — the same time Wright played football and attended school there.
Whoever the point person is, the Commanders have some big tasks ahead in their stadium pursuit: win friends, influence people — and get their money.
• You can hear Thom Loverro on The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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