The One About the Arena

March 8, 2024

No one likes political double-talk so here's the bottom line upfront: if the vote were today on the Potomac Yard Arena proposal, I would - with some heartburn - vote no. I don't believe the current deal is a good deal for our city but I do believe that the deal could and should be improved to add additional protections and benefits for our community.

With that said, I hope you will take the time to read and understand my logic in coming to this conclusion as well as my recommendations for improvement.

The Full Story

As I've been speaking with voters across Alexandria, the proposed Monumental Sports Arena and associated development in North Potomac Yard is front and center. From Del Ray to west of 395; North Old Town to the Eisenhower corridor, everyone is thinking deeply abut this proposal.

Given the opposition of NOVA Labor and 2/3 of Alexandria's delegation to the House of Delegates, many are rightfully questioning if this project is a bad deal for Alexandria.

At this moment in time, it is extremely difficult to have a hard position because there are so many unknown elements. Will the General Assembly even advance the Stadium Authority? Is there an option to increase Alexandria's representation on the Board to more than just 3 of 15 (20%) seats? If it's a good deal, why is public financing necessary for a billionaire? How do we protect quality of life for residents? Will the next Governor share the current Governor's commitment to this project and the necessary transit and transportation funding to make it functional?

Most importantly, has anyone seen the actual contract agreement? When the devil is in the details, it's hard to say "yes or no" if you can't read the contract agreement.

Like all taxpayers, I'm deeply concerned about the growing gap between residential and commercial tax revenue in Alexandria. We know that we can't continue to go back to rate payers time and time again for more money, especially when affordable housing is a crisis level in our community. Diversification of our revenue must occur for Alexandria to remain strong.

Fitting with the Small Area Plan, North Potomac Yard was always slated to be a large and dense commercial zone for the city. It has a Metro station, access to DCA airport and the potential for a future VRE connection. It's a prime location for commercial-focused development that could start the re-balancing of our tax burden but we need a catalyst.

The question becomes: is this the right project for the site and for our city?

As I've been considering the project, I shared my "notebook" on social media, including my growing pro/con list. As a candidate, I want voters to understand my thinking on this project and how I will evaluate other development projects before City Council.

I also released a survey because government should be representative of the people it serves. I appreciate the many Alexandrians who have shared their thoughts and I still want to hear your thoughts, if you are willing to share.

Early in the process, I promised to keep an open mind on the project and I remain open-minded because it's the budget process and anything can happen. However, I believe there are some non-negotiable items:

- Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for construction and the ability of workers to unionize at the venue;

- Guarantees from Richmond for long-term, sustained investment in Metro and transportation improvements;

- Greater representation of Alexandrians on the Stadium Authority Board; and

- Public clarity and analysis of the bonding mechanism and punishment clause(s) related to early termination of the contract by Monumental Sports.

Without these critical elements and with great heartburn, I would have join Dels. Bennett-Parker and Lopez in voting "no" on the proposal.

While the game is still in Richmond, I hope our delegation will continue to fight for these critical elements to ensure a good deal of Alexandria and Virginia.

PS - Thank you for reading a very long email but this is a big, complex issue with major opportunities for Alexandria. It deserves careful consideration. Thank you for being an informed Alexandrians - people like you are the reason Alexandria is a great place to live.