Confirmed with Link: Capitals to VA is dead. DC decides to pay $515 million dollars to upgrade capital one

[CapitalsCupReality]

Alexandria….is it really that big a deal? I’ve had to drive 45 mins to an hour or more forever…not really changing much.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Maybe we can have our own “new stadium/arena/rink thread? For the Caps/Wiz, I guess the Skins, and even perhaps the Orioles? (Nats aren’t going anywhere).

Perhaps also not clutter the teams roster thread with the possible move?

 

[bacchist]

I live in upper Montgomery County, and there's a pretty good chance I will never go to another Capitals game if they move to Virginia.

 

[dreadpirateroberts]

That’s really lame if they change the location, I love riding the metro in and walking around to gets drinks after a game. What’re they going to use Cap one for now? Just concerts? I don’t get it…. It’s right in DC

I think a new bigger arena is going to be more enticing to a concert promoter than an aging Cap One. More artists have been choosing to play the renovated arena in Baltimore in recent months than DC.

 

[bacchist]

Alexandria….is it really that big a deal? I’ve had to drive 45 mins to an hour or more forever…not really changing much.

Already over an hour each way for me...

 

[Brian23]

I've had to go into Maryland for my entire adult life to see a Commanders game, feel like the slightly longer hike to Alexandria isn't going to kill the Maryland fandom.

Figure it just means DC is all in on the Commanders in DC though.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Potomac Yards has a brand new Metro built right into it. I used to live a mile from there in North Old Town and it’s crazy how much that place has built up. They tore down the old movie theatre and now it’s going to be a state of the art tech hub/facility for Virginia Tech. I honestly don’t get how transportation would work though… the only road close to it is Route 1 which is two lanes each way and already a nightmare. I guess it’s close enough to the GW Parkway that you could cut through Crystal City, er, National Landing fairly easily if you use the Parkway and I’m sure they’d have other infrastructure improvements.

Not surprising they want to leave DC. As someone who had to find office space for my business, I chose Crystal City over DC. Not quite as “sexy” as being in DC but rent was $.30 on the dollar compared to DC and there’s a Metro right there. Plus now Amazon is here and it’s almost unrecognizable. DC was also a nightmare to deal with from a compliance standpoint (as was Maryland).

I don’t want the Caps to leave DC but if they do they could do worse than Potomac Yards. It’s not like they’re throwing them in Ashburn. CapOne Arena is 4 miles from Potomac Yards and PY has both the Yellow and Blue lines that run through it.

Also when I get home I’m going to create an all purposes stadium/arena thread so we can keep the threads clean and on topic.

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

DC govt obviously doesn’t appreciate the Caps so don’t blame Ted.

 

[Block]

DC govt obviously doesn’t appreciate the Caps so don’t blame Ted.

Nah, it's entirely on Ted, and the idiots that VA elected. Billionaires shouldn't get a dime of public funds.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

 

[Random schmoe]

Potomac Yards has a brand new Metro built right into it. I used to live a mile from there in North Old Town and it’s crazy how much that place has built up. They tore down the old movie theatre and now it’s going to be a state of the art tech hub/facility for Virginia Tech. I honestly don’t get how transportation would work though… the only road close to it is Route 1 which is two lanes each way and already a nightmare. I guess it’s close enough to the GW Parkway that you could cut through Crystal City, er, National Landing fairly easily if you use the Parkway and I’m sure they’d have other infrastructure improvements.

Not surprising they want to leave DC. As someone who had to find office space for my business, I chose Crystal City over DC. Not quite as “sexy” as being in DC but rent was $.30 on the dollar compared to DC and there’s a Metro right there. Plus now Amazon is here and it’s almost unrecognizable. DC was also a nightmare to deal with from a compliance standpoint (as was Maryland).

I don’t want the Caps to leave DC but if they do they could do worse than Potomac Yards. It’s not like they’re throwing them in Ashburn. CapOne Arena is 4 miles from Potomac Yards and PY has both the Yellow and Blue lines that run through it.

Also when I get home I’m going to create an all purposes stadium/arena thread so we can keep the threads clean and on topic.

Thank you for this sane take.

I wish they'd stay in the city... but Potomac Yard is a damn good fallback option. (Yes, they'll have to sort out some transportation concerns. Given the location, I'd place money on a water taxi from DC and/or MD within 5 years of the arena opening.)

 

[John Price]

it's dumb because they're moving like 5 miles west for money because Amazon is moving there too

and yes, we need an individual thread because this still don't have anything to do with caps roster lol

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

Nah, it's entirely on Ted, and the idiots that VA elected. Billionaires shouldn't get a dime of public funds.

He literally keeps the Penn Quarter and Chinatown areas afloat. Helping to finance the arena makes absolute sense.

 

[John Price]

Alexandria….is it really that big a deal? I’ve had to drive 45 mins to an hour or more forever…not really changing much.

it is if you're coming from MD

for those of us already in VA it's about the same commute time.

 

[Brian23]

it's dumb because they're moving like 5 miles west for money because Amazon is moving there too

and yes, we need an individual thread because this still don't have anything to do with caps roster lol

wut. Do you think they're running a charity? Capitals/Wiz being in that area of DC has floated entire sections of DC. Like, I'm not one to advocate or care about making Billionaires pay their fair share, but why should Ted or MSE give up any money for a city that's been seemingly flirting and trying to replace them for awhile now?

 

[John Price]

wut. Do you think they're running a charity? Capitals/Wiz being in that area of DC has floated entire sections of DC. Like, I'm not one to advocate or care about making Billionaires pay their fair share, but why should Ted or MSE give up any money for a city that's been seemingly flirting and trying to replace them for awhile now?

and the tweet indicates that too, seems like the relationship between dc and leonsis has fractured. only 3 cops now?

when we get a new thread I will break down the pros and cons from what I've seen all over the message boards. I don't immediately agree with the move, but I understand.

 

[alphabetical]

it is if you're coming from MD

for those of us already in VA it's about the same commute time.

Google maps says the drive from rockville to capital one is 36 minutes right now, and the drive to the target at potomac yard is 37 minutes. The time on public transport is worse though - the change from the red line adds 20-25 minutes to the trip.

 

[hockeykicker]

Lets keep all arena talk here

 

[Hivemind]

There is a reason the successful teams play in the heart of downtowns.

This is a pretty big stretch. There's not much relationship between teams being downtown or not and how successful they are. Obviously you don't want to be waaaay out in the boonies, but Potomac Yards is still going to be closer to downtown DC than many other NHL rinks, including some pretty big & successful franchises like the Flyers and Devils.

This image recently went semi-viral, showing the distances of NHL rinks relative to their city hall overlaid on a map of Ottawa (although it doesn't depict Florida or New Jersey, both of which would be entirely off the map). If the Caps were to relocate, they wouldn't be anywhere near the Ottawa-level of displacement.

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

Such a shame man. Penn Quarter was such a dump before the arena. It totally revitalized the city and I love how we had a team in downtown. Feels like that’s where they belong.

Not sure how transportation is going to work on Potomac Yard but it really scares me. Route 1 is already a shitshow during rush hour. I cannot imagine traffic in a weeknight 7pm start. And DC metro is talking about reducing hours even more.

Feels like more and more Ted is about money grabs and less about the fans and the fan experience.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

New thread. I looked up the new Metro. I come from either Green or Red line and it looks like its well over an hour with the transfer to the Yellow line.

 

[eojsmada]

Bettman was just on ESPN saying that the Caps are going to create a new and exciting experience and it will be announced tomorrow

 

[usiel]

Here I thought it was all an extortion attempt. Also they just did build out a new studio for monumental near cap one also though that probably does not matter much.

Agreed with the Rt. 1 traffic sentiments but I wonder if the metro staying in close proximity is the calculation. I mean that is not like an interesting or cool stretch so feels pretty weird if this all pans out.

 

[notDkristich]

Sorry, why do rich people need money from the government? I'll see myself out

 

[Vilica]

I'd like to state upfront I dislike public money giveaways for stadiums, though an 82+ night venue (whether baseball or NBA/NHL) is much more economically viable than the boondoggle that is an NFL stadium. Whatever giveaway politicians are granting Leonsis is too much.

On the other hand, reading the national reaction of people wildly unfamiliar with DC geography has been quite funny, with people assuming the arena is in like Leesburg, rather than essentially just 4 miles south. I mean, if you're a DC-absolutist, it's still within the boundaries of the original DC land grant. Also, as someone who'd be coming from Franconia-Springfield, that location would tempt me to attend way more games. 15 minute Metro ride to Potomac Yard, figure 15 minutes entering/exiting arena apiece, could leave at 6pm and be home by 1030pm. I'd get to experience what you Red Line people have done for Capital One all these years, with no transfer.