Community members protest Capitals & Wizards relocation to Alexandria
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Many people in the District and Alexandria continue to say they are not happy about the idea of moving the Capitals and the Wizards to the site of a proposed $2 billion professional sports arena at Potomac Yard.
Public opponents stood outside the Charles Houston Recreation Center protesting a proposed Sports and Entertainment Arena in Alexandria. The protest came ahead of the city of Alexandria holding a town hall to discuss the proposed deal.
READ MORE: Capitals, Wizards owner, Youngkin, announce plans to move teams to Virginia
"The big community concern is that this project simply doesn’t fit in Alexander. We don’t have a transportation infrastructure, so people are concerned about transportation impacts, crime, housing prices going up, environmental impacts, and, of course, the physical consequences of this," said Andrew Macdonald, Coalition to Stop the Arena.
Opponents like Andrew Macdonald, a member of the group, "Coalition to Stop The Arena," said he does not believe there will be projections of billions of dollars in economic benefits nor the promise of more than 30,000 jobs.
"We feel like the stadium project is going to end up costing taxpayers immensely, and it’s not going to provide economic benefits, so our main concern is that we want to see this process slowed down. We want to see Mr. Leonis stop trying to buy support in every which way he can."
The group has allied with opponents of the project in the District, who say their city is better equipped to handle the traffic and crowds.
"I saw something in one of the plans they’re going to have 300 events a year at that entertainment center for it to make financial sense at all, so imagine the residents of Potomac Yard having to deal with 300 events—I’m talking concerts, rodeo, monster truck and basketball every day and I don’t know if any of guys have ever gotten off the exit for the Potomac yard station, but it’s one exit so good luck," said Cohen Cosby, Media Director for Don’t Mute D.C.
Supporters say— it could be a huge-missed opportunity if the deal doesn't go through.
"There is that myth that only Washingtonians get to see the Wizards and the Caps when, in fact, those crowds are just 15 percent of the Wizards and the Caps. Alexandria and Arlington are both over 40 percent and there is all kinds of people from Arlington that come in to see the Caps, so it would be easier to come to Alexandria. I’m excited about it," said Patrick Welsh, Alexandria Residents Supporting Proposed Arena.
"There’s plenty of other priorities in Virginia that our tax dollars could be going to and not this arena. Ted Leonis can certainly afford to fund this arena himself, and we think he should go do that if he really wants this so badly," said Eric Weiner, Member of Coalition to Stop The Arena.
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