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BREAKING: Washington Capitals and Wizards could move to Potomac Yard

As seen in Potomac Yard (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Virginia lawmakers are meeting today to consider a deal to bring the Washington Capitals and Wizards to Potomac Yard, the Washington Post first reported.

The teams could be moving to a new mixed-use facility in the Potomac Yard neighborhood, multiple officials involved with the proposal told the Post. A Virginia stadium authority would own the complex and lease it to Capitals and Wizards’ owner, Monumental Sports & Entertainment.

The reported sports complex would feature both basketball and hockey facilities, as well as a large underground parking area and a possible concert venue. The Post reported the artist’s rendering described as a “little mini-city development.”

The announcement comes after reports of Monumental Sports & Entertainment asking D.C. for $600 million in public funds for the renovation.

The Alexandria Economic Development Partnership said it couldn’t comment on the story. Neither would Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson.

“No comment on economic development,” Wilson told ALXnow, “but we are bullish on the future of Potomac Yard! So much opportunity for the city’s future.”

The new Potomac Yard Metro station opened in the neighborhood earlier this year and Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus is under construction.

It isn’t the first time stadium discussion has surfaced in Potomac Yard. In the 1990s there were plans to install a football stadium in the area, pushed by then-Governor L. Douglas Wilder and Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke, but Alexandria Mayor Patsy Ticer led a successful fight against the stadium.