Story By: Erin Zollars
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Alexandria, VA–
It’s the story all sports fans around the DMV have been talking about today, will the Wizards and Caps along with Monumental Sports leave D.C in favor or Potomac Yard in Alexandria? Seems like that might be case as Monumental and Gov. Glenn Youngkin have scheduled a 9am press conference just outside the Metro Station, for what they are calling a major announcement for the commitment between the State of Virginia and Monumental Sports and Entertainment.
Virginia state lawmakers voted Monday to approve the arena project in northern Virginia, the Washington Post reported. A final vote of the state’s full general assembly is needed to pass the project, which would create an 8,000,000-square-foot campus site in Alexandria.
ABC7 in Virginia reported that the teams could break ground by 2025 and begin playing there by 2028.
All of this stems from D.C’s lack of effort to work with Leonsis on updating the 27-year-old Capital One Arena, in which he has asked the city for over 600 million to help the surrounding areas as well as major updates over the summer of 2024. Could this be the nail in the coffin? Some say he has already made his mind up, but it didn’t stop the D.C City Council to at the last-minute tonight unveil their $500 million Chinatown/Gallery Place and COA revitalization plan. It is too late? Only time will tell us tomorrow what Monumental has planned and if they have a huge battle on their hands.
“This proposal represents our best and final offer and is the next step in partnering with Monumental Sports to breathe new life and vibrancy into the neighborhood and to keep the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals where they belong — in Washington, DC,” Mayor Bowser said.
