LARGO, Md. -- After years of fits and starts, D.C. United's long-running quest for a home of their own took a massive step forward on Monday morning as club executives joined state and county officials at a crowded press conference announcing new legislation to build a soccer-specific stadium in Prince George's County, Maryland.
Alongside county executive Jack Johnson, state assembly delegate Melony Griffith and a host of other local lawmakers, United majority owner Victor MacFarlane and club president Kevin Payne proudly revealed the details of a plan to fund construction of a $195 million, 24,000-seat facility for the Black-and-Red which could open its doors as early as the latter stages of the 2011 Major League Soccer season.
"This is a new day for D.C. United," said MacFarlane. "We now see a new, permanent home for our club and our fans, and we think it will bring the kind of opportunity to Prince George's County, and for Maryland, that is so important right now and in the future."
The plan, which will be introduced in this year's legislative session of the Maryland State Assembly, calls for United to underwrite 25 percent of the stadium's cost and the remaining 75 percent to be paid for with the new tax revenue it will generate in the years ahead. A report by the Maryland Stadium Authority estimates that United's new home will create $65 to $80 million a year in new economic development for the state, a figure equivalent to about 1,200 new jobs, while construction itself would generate an estimated 2,500 jobs.
The proposed move to Prince George's, a county of more than 841,000 residents on the District of Columbia's northern and eastern borders, comes in the wake of United's long and ultimately fruitless negotiations with the D.C. government over a proposed stadium at Poplar Point, an undeveloped spot on the Anacostia River. The site's lead developer recently shelved plans for a mixed-use project that could have included an arena for the club.
On Monday, MacFarlane made it clear that his club has moved on for good -- even if there are presently no plans to change the team name to "P.G. United," as county council member Sam Dean playfully suggested.
"Please know that our team is committed to working with Prince George's County to build a stadium. We have no communication, we have no other process going on [with other governments]. We want to be in Prince George's County," he declared, sparking a loud ovation from the assembled dignitaries on hand.
The ongoing economic downturn has created fiscal challenges for Washington-area jurisdictions just as it has affected governments across the nation. But Johnson and MacFarlane emphasized that the stadium plan's careful composition utilizes no existing tax revenue and thus presents low risk and great reward to state and county finances.
"In this economic time, we understand that we cannot ask for one dollar from the existing tax base, and we will not, I promise," said MacFarlane. "We're not going to do that. All we're asking for is that the direct taxes that are generated by the stadium be utilized to help fund the stadium."
In presenting such an ambitious undertaking even as the wider economic outlook remains bearish, Johnson cited the success of similar county projects like FedEx Field, home of the NFL's Washington Redskins, and the new National Harbor development, a multi-use hotel and entertainment complex which is already slated to play host to United's visiting opponents in 2009.
"We have to grow our economy, no matter what the circumstances," said Johnson. "We are not using any tax revenues. We are not using any education revenues. None of the funds that are slated for education and other vital programs will be shifted. This project will stand on its own, and when you examine it on its own, you will find tremendous economic opportunities for the future of Prince George's County."
United is considering seven potential sites within the county, five of which are located near Metro rail stations, and MacFarlane pledged that the final selection will be a "community process" involving multiple stakeholders. The stadium itself will be a compact, "urban" design requiring only 12 acres, while a new training complex for D.C. would be built at another site nearby.
Club officials like Payne have seen their share of false dawns in the long search for a new stadium, and there is no shortage of work -- physical, financial and political -- still ahead. But Monday's event featured radiant optimism as all parties contemplated a bright future for their new partnership.
"I'm knocking on wood a lot," joked Payne. "In this business you try not to get too up or too down, so I'm trying not to get too up. When we put a shovel in the ground and break ground, I'll probably drink some champagne that day. But right now we just see this as a great step forward. We're incredibly enthusiastic about the reception we've had from Prince George's County and the state, and we're eager to get to work."
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