While people around the region have been discussing the proposal to move the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards to a new Potomac Yard arena, Alexandria Economic Development Partnership President and CEO Stephanie Landrum said one of the most popular questions she’s been getting from Alexandrians is “What will happen to the Target?”
The Target (3101 Richmond Highway) at Potomac Yard was controversial back when it opened, according to a Washington Post article from 1997.
With WMATA announcing potentially drastic cuts to the Metro system, some Alexandria leaders are saying the Potomac Yard arena announcement can be leveraged to get Virginia to pony up more support.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, last week Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin took to the stage with local leaders and Washington Capitals and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis to announce plans to build a new arena in Potomac Yard.
Updated at 2:45 p.m. New posters are lampooning the recent announcement that the Washington Capitals and Wizards are moving to Potomac Yard by demanding one more thing — for the Washington Commanders to also move to the neighborhood.
“BUILD THE STADIUM COMPLEX,” headlines the five posters, which say, “We must act fast! This mega complex will be suitable for (football, basketball and hockey stick emojis) and T Swift concerts. The streets of Del Ray will become sanctuary for riotous celebrations of multiple championships. We must not lose out to suburban Maryland!! Let’s make our suburb great again!”
Good Friday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect sunshine and a high temperature near 56 during the day, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 6 to 9 mph. The night will be mostly clear with the temperature dropping to around 34, and a west wind at a slightly lower speed of 3 to 5 mph.
Yesterday’s announcement of the possible new arena at Potomac Yard turned a previously scheduled conversation with Mayor Justin Wilson into one of the first public discussions of the contentious project.
The Del Ray Citizens Association was packed with 375 participants on a Zoom call to ask Wilson questions about the new project. Across social media — and at a small protest outside the announcement — concerns focused on the secrecy around the project, car congestion at the site, and the Potomac Yard Metro’s ability to handle the amount of traffic.
Earlier today, officials announced plans to bring the Washington Capitals and the Washington Wizards to a new arena in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood.
The new $2 billion arena, leased to Monumental Sports & Entertainment, is scheduled to break ground in 2025 and open sometime in late 2028, a press release from the governor’s office said.
Updated 3/27/2024 — The Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards are not, in fact, coming to Potomac Yard
It’s official: the Washington Capitals and the Washington Wizards are moving to Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood.
Updated at 8:35 a.m. — It’s official.
Earlier: A big announcement about the Potomac Yard sports arena — possibly a new home to the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards — could come tomorrow morning.
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.
Among the results of a settled lawsuit between the City of Alexandria and the Potomac Riverkeeper Network is a project to add thousands of freshwater mussels to the Potomac River.
City Council member Sarah Bagley gave the Council an update last week from the Waterfront Commission where she said the mussels — which are filter feeders and help clean the water –would be added to the river as part of the city’s remediation efforts.
The Office of Historic Alexandria has debuted its annual holiday ornament: a solid brass decoration depicting Potomac Yard’s rail yard history.
The 3 x 2.75 inch ornament features a steam-powered locomotive in the foreground and the Capitol Building in the background. The ornament is $25.
