The grassroots movement to support a proposed D.C. United stadium at Buzzard Point and associated District of Columbia development continues to expand and grow. Over 50 local community organizations and businesses have joined the UniteDC coalition in addition to the more than 5,000 District residents across all eight wards of the District who have sent emails to the Mayor and City Council to support the new stadium.
UniteDC seeks the District’s approval of the proposal for a new soccer stadium at Buzzard Point and the related job-creating development in the District of Columbia. More than 70,000 emails have been sent by supporters to District leaders to support the effort.
“D.C. United is the perfect example of asking not what the community can do for the team but what the team can do for the community,” said Ernest Yombo, Assistant Principal at Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School. “I believe a permanent home for the team would allow it to continue to set an example in the District with its beneficial community programs.”
The current details of the proposal pave the way for a partnership that will transform Southwest Washington in the same way that Verizon Center reshaped and revitalized the Gallery Place neighborhood. D.C. United will be responsible for privately financing and constructing the $150 million stadium while the District assembles the land and prepares it for development (street lights, sidewalks, curbs, etc.). The proposal will generate $387 million in new tax revenue, create 870 construction jobs and 550 permanent jobs. The District, which will lease the stadium site to D.C. United, will retain ownership of the land at the end of the lease period, at which point the property will likely be worth more than $700 million. Importantly, the proposal imposes no new taxes on District residents or businesses.
"The plan is so much more than just a sports stadium. It will create jobs in three different wards and revitalize several different neighborhoods including the Anacostia Gateway," said Stan Jackson, President and CEO, Anacostia Economic Development Corporation. "In fact, the proposal will generate in excess of 1,000 jobs and redevelopment that is highly needed in Ward 8."
“The generation of millions of dollars in new tax revenue and the creation of hundreds of jobs will help workers and bring about wide-ranging economic development and opportunity,” said Nikki Lewis, Executive Director of D.C. Jobs With Justice. UniteDC is a coalition of local businesses, community groups, labor organizations and residents who have united to support the stadium package for D.C. United at Buzzard Point. For more information, go to UniteDC.org.
