Loundon County officials say that a potential site for a new Washington Redskins stadium is drawing interest from developers, meaning the team should act sooner rather than later.
In the team’s ongoing search for a site for a new stadium, Loudon County has been mentioned as a possible destination. Some in the county have expressed interest in a potential project, and Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe has discussed luring the team into the state.
However, Loudon County officials are cautioning that its site options for a new Redskins stadium are limited, and say that a potential location is drawing interest. A 280-acre plot fronting the Dulles Greenway has been pitched as a possible option for a stadium, as it offers about 165 acres of usable land and is located near the Loudon Gateway Metro station that is expected to open in the next few years.
Some county officials are saying that if the Redskins are interested in the site–which previous estimates suggest could for more than $130 million–they should act soon, as there are signs of interest from other parties. The County’s economic development director, meanwhile, says that he maintains a dialogue with the Redskins, but adds he is not engaged in an active conversation about building a new stadium in Loundon County. More from the Loudon Times-Mirror:
The county’s Economic Development Director Buddy Rizer said he talks to the Redskins on a regular basis about a number of things, but he is not currently in any active conversations with the team about building a new stadium in Loudoun.
“I just think that the best case scenario, [the Redskins are] probably 10 years away from being able to open a new stadium, and if I’m doing my job well we won’t have any sites around Metro that are left by then,” Rizer said.
The local economic development director also said there has been a tremendous amount of interest in the Dulles Greenway property, but he declined to elaborate which companies or industries had approached his department because of non-disclosure agreements. Rizer avoided weighing in on what he believes would be the best use of the property.
“We have been thrilled with the interest in that site from a whole bunch of people that are interested in kind of enacting their vision there, and there’s a lot of great things that I think Loudoun County is going to be proud of that are possible there,” Rizer said.
Redskins president Bruce Allen recently said that the team is “little ahead of schedule” in the process. The team is looking at its long-term options for replacing FedEx Field in Prince Georges County, Maryland, where its lease does not expire until 2027. Team senior vice president Tony Wyllie told the Times-Mirror that the Redskins “have not disclosed any of the sites they are considering.”
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