Can Northern Virginia Lure the Commanders With New Stadium?
By Keith Loria February 11, 2022 4:02 pm
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With the lease for the newly named Washington Commanders at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., expiring in 2026, there’s no shortage of possible next homes.
On the heels of Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announcing her hopes to attract the NFL team back to the District, lawmakers in Northern Virginia have derived their own plan to bring the former Washington Football Team to the area, setting up what could be a big battle.
A new bill — SB 727 — introduced by Senator Richard Saslaw of Fairfax at a Senate Finance and Appropriations committee hearing on Thursday, would establish a Virginia Football Stadium Authority, with the hopes of bringing the Commanders to either Loudoun or Prince William County.
SB 727 calls for $1 billion in government bonds that would be repaid over a period of 30 years utilizing tax revenue from the new stadium when built. Additionally, the team and owner Daniel Snyder would be required to invest at least $2 billion in the stadium as well.
“It does not create a penny of debt,” Saslaw told the committee during his pitch, noting the idea is similar to recently funded stadiums in Atlanta, Dallas and Santa Clara, Calif.
The bill was approved by a 14-2 vote with one abstention, and is now off to the full legislature for approval.
Sen. Adam Ebbin of Alexandria offered an amendement that would require disclosure of the NFL’s investigation into Snyder and alleged sexual harassment claims before any stadium deal is approved, but it was not seconded and therefore not added.
Keith Loria can be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com.
