A new stadium in D.C. for the Washington Commanders would not just create thousands of jobs and generate millions in annual tax revenue, it would also be a catalyst for hotel, retail, housing and even office development in the immediate area surrounding the stadium.
That’s according to a study on the economic impact of professional sports commissioned by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and released to the public Thursday.
While the report examines the impact of all the city’s professional sports franchises on their surrounding neighborhoods and the District at large, its primary aim was to drum up support for luring Washington’s football team back to D.C.
“Hosting an NFL franchise is a once in a generation placemaking opportunity,” the report said.
The Commanders’ lease at its home in Landover expires in 2027 and Bowser has made no secret of her desire to bring the team to the District, where it played for decades before moving to Maryland under former owner Jack Kent Cooke. The report does not specify where a stadium might be built — or how it would be paid for — but Bowser has long touted the site of the team’s former home, Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, as the most logical location.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Alan Kline over at Washington Business Journal
