Potomac Yard Stadium Records (MS283)

Collection

Identifier: MS283

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of economic and traffic reports and how the stadium would benefit the community by pro-stadium analyst groups. There are also reports presented to the Finance and Appropriations Committee of the Virginia Assembly. One folder consists of materials created by the Citizens Against the Stadium group. Other opposition studies and opinions include those from the National Airport and United Airlines who opposed the stadium location under existing flightpaths, one by Alexandria Archaeology, and one claiming the Four Mile Run watershed would be affected by the construction. Various newspaper clippings (photocopies) about the stadium plans are included in the collection.

Dates

1992

Creator

Citizens Against the Stadium (1992) (Organization)

Biographical / Historical

In 1992, Washington Redskins own Jack Cooke Kent led a drive to build a new football stadium on the site of the Alexandria’s vacant rail switching station, Potomac Yards. Kent sought to move the team to Virginia, complaining that District of Columbia officials did not offer enough subsidies Plans called for a 78,600 stadium south of National Airport that costs $250 million. Partnering with then Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder, the state would have issued $130 million of tax-exempt bonds for infrastructure improvement. The campaign to bring the Redskins to Alexandria was hugely unpopular with Mayor Patsy Ticer and much of the community citing that the stadium would ruin the neighborhood character. Residents created a group called Citizens Against the Stadium and aggressively lobbied state lawmakers to shut down the project. A combination of bad publicity, public outcry, and criticism about the state bonding millions of dollars for the project lead to the failing of the relocation plan.