The Washington Redskins search for a new stadium could have an emerging contender in the FedEx Field site, which offers plenty of room for a new facility and surrounding development.
Team owner Daniel Snyder is currently exploring stadium site options as the team approaches the 2027 expiration of its lease to FedEx Field in Landover, MD. While the organization has not settled on a location, the D.C. suburbs of Maryland, Northern Virginia, and the District of Columbia are all viewed as potential landing spots.
Plenty of criticism has been aimed at the FedEx Field site since the stadium opened in 1997, with access issues–it does not offer a convenient Metro station–and the lack of ancillary amenities surrounding the venue being among the most commonly mentioned drawbacks. Still, Snyder owns over 200 acres of land in the area, including the site of FedEx Field itself and surrounding parking lots, along with several nearby undeveloped parcels.
That would leave the organization with plenty of room to carry out a project that includes a new domed stadium and surrounding development. Furthermore, the idea of a new stadium and surrounding amenities in that area seems to intrigue Prince Georges County officials, who believe a major redevelopment of the FedEx Field site could compliment other development initiatives that are taking place in the county. More from the Washington Post:
For one thing, Snyder already owns more than 200 acres at and around FedEx Field. That means there’s plenty of land for the vision he’s pitching. In addition, top Prince George’s officials enthusiastically welcome the proposal. They don’t want to be stuck with an empty stadium if the team leaves.
Snyder’s plan also complements the county’s strategy for new development next door in Largo, where a regional medical center and the Carillon mixed-use project are under construction.
“For us, it provides a really wonderful opportunity,” said County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D), who met with Snyder in January. “If you think about the other things that are happening right up the street from it, it’s a very wise investment.”
County Council Chairman Todd M. Turner (D-District 4) said, “We’ve had a long-standing relationship with the football team, and we’d like that to continue.”
Considering the amount of land Snyder controls in the area, a project at the FedEx Field site could in theory face fewer hurdles than other reported alternatives, including the RFK Stadium site. That could be appealing to the organization as it continues its stadium search, though it is worth noting that the team has emphasized it is still open to options in all three jurisdictions.
“We have great relationships with officials in Virginia, Maryland and D.C.,” the team told the Washington Post in an emailed statement. “We are just beginning discussions and open to opportunities in all three locations.”
In D.C., the RFK Stadium site has been viewed as a potential option. However, there are plenty of questions surrounding that possibility, with debate over long-term control and future uses of the site among the hurdles any new stadium proposal could face. It does not seem that a clear-cut stadium site option has emerged in Virginia, though Snyder has recently been lobbying lawmakers in the state–and in Maryland–to pass a law that would allow for the operation of a sportsbook at a new stadium.
There are still plenty of unanswered questions remaining in the team’s stadium search, and time will tell how the Redskins sort those out. The FedEx Field site might present a viable option, however, especially if the Redskins see potential in building a new stadium there while possibly working with local and/or state government to carry out a project that results in new development and addresses some of the area’s current shortcomings.
RELATED STORIES: Long-Term Lease for RFK Stadium Site Fails to Make Spending Bill; Poll: Most D.C. Residents Support Redskins Stadium at RFK Site, Without Public Funds; Talk of Bezos Buying into Redskins, New Stadium Could be Premature; D.C. Mayor Not Giving Up on Possible Redskins Stadium at RFK Site; RFK Stadium Will be Demolished by 2021; Provision Could Stall Pursuit of New Redskins Stadium at RFK Stadium Site; Bill Would Allow District to Purchase RFK Stadium Site;Discussions Over Redskins Oxon Cove Stadium Plan Halt; Potential Redskins Stadium at RFK Site Draws Opposition;Options for New Redskins Stadium Emerge, but Challenges Remain; Lawmakers Raise Concerns Over Redskins Maryland Stadium Pitch; Potential Land Swap Could Facilitate New Redskins Stadium Project in Maryland; Redskins Stadium Provision Sparks Debate in Congress; New Arena Could be Model for Future Redskins Stadium Project; Back in the News: New Redskins Stadium at RFK Stadium Site; Virginia Bills to Block New Washington Redskins Stadium Subsidies Rejected; Virginia Bill Could Block Subsidies for New Washington Redskins Stadium; Washington Redskins Said to Want Downtown-Type Experience at New Stadium; McAuliffe Makes Case for New Redskins Stadium in Virginia; Possible Redskins Stadium Site in Loudoun County Drawing Interest; Washington Redskins Continue New Stadium Search; New Hope for Redskins Stadium at RFK Site?; Baker: Do Not Rule Out PG County for Redskins; Dulles a Consideration for Loudon County in Redskins Pursuit; McAuliffe Continues Stadium Pitch; Va. Gov: We Expect to Land New Redskins Stadium