The $6 billion Route 1 expansion with 60 new lanes through residential areas to accommodate game traffic will pay for itself in "economic impact" from the stadium.   (Parody text and image above courtesy of DCist)

This is the second time snake oil salesmen have tried to sell Alexandria a stadium. In the 90s former Gov. Douglas Wilder and Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke tried to bring a football team and their offensive name to Alexandria. Fortunately, then-Mayor Patsy Ticer and Congressman Jim Moran were not sold on the deal and said No. So did residents. The deal was shelved and more density was added to the old rail yard.

Fast forward three decades and another stadium threatens Alexandria. This time, local politicians Mayor Justin Wilson and Senator Mark Warner have drunk a billionaire’s Kool-Aid. They are cheerleaders for this twenty-first-century train wreck at Potomac Yard, a giant sports stadium and entertainment complex overlooking the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Impartial (yeah, right) supporters, like Sen. Warner and Mayor Wilson, want us to believe that attracting two pro sports teams and their glitzy arena to Potomac Yard will help spruce up the George Washington Memorial Parkway while also protecting Alexandria’s character and charm, and neighborhoods.

Here’s our departing Mayor extolling the virtues of bringing to Virginia a version of the beautiful, historic National Harbor to our shores:
Alexandria’s ability to attract this ambitious project is a direct result of the success of previous investments made in Potomac Yard and across our city . . . . [i]t is our collective strategy and vision for purposeful economic growth that will ensure Alexandria remains a vibrant, accessible, and inclusive community for all.

Don’t be fooled by assurances from City Hall. This is a purposeful cover-up of a project offering non-existent public benefits and unwanted impacts.

Don’t be fooled into thinking there is some significant financial benefit to having a stadium, there isn’t. Don’t be fooled into thinking this deal is done and that we can’t stop it. We can.

This secret deal was concocted over months. We couldn’t benefit from being able to ask in-depth questions about anything until it was almost too late to de-rail the deal. This is what passes for public engagement on the issue.

State and city officials who want a stadium at Potomac Yard have made up their minds. They are not interested in answering tough questions.

Where are the studies that say this is good for Alexandria? They don't exist.

There are no independent studies of the impact of a Potomac Yard stadium on:

• traffic 
• air pollution 
• the scenic character and natural resources of the GW Parkway
• stormwater runoff pollution

Nothing has been said about the potential flooding risks from climate change as Potomac tides are pushed higher and higher. Models show that the arena site may flood.

We are just learning that the new metro station at Potomac Yard, which was constructed too close to a tidal wetland, was also not built to carry the overwhelming number of fans that Alexandria officials want to crowd Alexandria on game days and for concert events.

But hey, not a big problem really, since the majority of ticket holders will be DRIVING to Potomac Yard on Route 1 after passing through local streets after exiting off I-495, I-395 and the GW Parkway.

Congestion? Air pollution? Fire and police? Crime? Noise?

Again, Don’t Worry! Our elected leaders are on top of it and promise that lots of money will be available to fix whatever needs fixing.

It's pretty clear already that this proposal is not a good fit  for Alexandria any more than it was in the 1990s. Yet, our elected officials have clearly already decided to approve this billionaire’s trophy monument.

No way, they wouldn’t do that, would they? Yes they would and will if we don't make it clear to them that we don't want it here.

We don't need a billionaire's arena and his two professional sports teams In Alexandria.  We must not let this Monumental disaster become a reality at Potomac Yard. This project must not be allowed to break ground.

******NOTE: We have joined forces with other concerned residents to form the Coalition to Stop the Arena at Potomac Yard. For more information and links to our web site visit our Facebook Page:

 

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