As the Washington Commanders consider leaving behind their Prince George’s home, local leaders are pleading for Maryland not to neglect their neighborhoods once again.
“I’m asking you to think about what was done 25 years ago with our current stadium and ensure that we don’t do it again,” Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) told state legislators this week, pointing out that FedEx Field opened in 1997 “with no infrastructure to sustain it and no infrastructure to benefit the surrounding community.”
Newly obtained documents show Prince George’s and the state have developed an expansive vision for a five-mile corridor of economic development to surround a new stadium, similar to Virginia’s “mini-city” approach. The state and county told the team in confidential documents that Prince George’s will help further team president Jason Wright’s goals for a stadium project that also advances social-justice initiatives.
Virginia’s bills to lure Commanders could offer unlimited tax dollars for ‘mini-city’
Maryland is clearly willing to spend heavily on stadiums. Lawmakers are advancing a plan to put $1.2 billion into upgrading the state’s other two major pro sports stadiums, in Baltimore. But, so far, state leaders have not introduced legislation to implement the Commanders pitch.
