The Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals are making the move to Potomac Yard in Alexandria, Va. An expected $2 billion will be spent to build a new entertainment center which is to be finished in 2028.
The essentials for a professional entertainment district will be provided, including media rooms, living areas, an arena and training facilities. These new developments will be near the unfinished graduate school, Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard. The new arena and facilities will be about three miles closer to WS.
“[I think I’ll go to more games] because it’s closer,” said junior Riley Segura. “My parents don’t let me drive to D.C. [but they will let me drive to Alexandria].”
Though the new sports center is closer, the traffic is expected to be far worse than the D.C. location. To combat the issue, Potomac Yard also has a fairly new Metro station, which opened on March 19 of last year.
“The trip to the stadium will be a shorter [commute] but with more traffic than DC,” said sophomore Connor McNiff, a season ticket holder.
McNiff is not the only one concerned about traffic patterns as a result of the move. About 25,000 vehicles per day use the Route 1 stretch past the supposed plot for the stadium according to NBC Washington. Security specialist Bradley Adams stresses the negative effects pertaining to traffic along Route 1.
“I lived over in Potomac Yards and the traffic patterns are going to be terrible for a new stadium,” said Adams. “Route 1 just can’t take the amount of people that are going to be coming in there for games.”
The moves will mean more than just a new commute. Two thousand, two hundred and fifty jobs are expected to be lost, according to analytics from WTOP. On the flip side, Gov. Glenn Youngkin believes that more than 30,000 jobs will be created. WTOP also states that 76 million dollars are expected to be lost in Washington D.C. businesses’ annual sales.
AP US History teacher Brian Heintz worries about the economic implications of the move, specifically regarding its impact on small businesses who rely on game traffic.
“It is a doubly bad [economic move] because this [is] taking jobs and economic activity from a place that needs it and moving it to a place that doesn’t and putting the burden on Virginia taxpayers,” said Heintz. “This notion that somehow this creates jobs is voodoo economics. Nobody wins in this [move] except the billionaires who own the sports teams.”
Capital One Arena will not be vacant, though, as WNBA team the Washington Mystics, concerts, and performances will use the arena. The Mystics, however, only pull in a crowd of about 4 thousand spectators, whereas the Wizards crowd is over 17 thousand fans.
Some spectators who frequent the Capital One Arena worry about the new facility’s quality.
“[Capital One Arena] is one of the really nice [arenas], and I’m afraid the new arena being built isn’t going to be all that,” said sophomore Irene Doll.
