Dive Brief:
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The future of D.C. United's $300 million soccer stadium could be in danger after other developers in the same neighborhood have come out against its design, according to The Washington Post.
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Area land owners said they will "actively contest" the rezoning necessary to allow the stadium to move forward because the current layout does not provide adequate retail and access to the rest of the neighborhood.
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D.C. United officials said they have spent millions on a revised design that will better accommodate the area and warned that continued delays around these issues could prevent the team from being able to start the 2018 season in the new stadium.
Dive Insight:
Critics of the current stadium design said it will stifle economic development in the area and will prevent the D.C. United organization and Washington, DC, from getting the full benefit out of the city's $150 million investment. Jason Levien, managing general partner of the team, questioned opponents' true intentions and suggested that they were launching the negative campaign in order to force the team into selling them its retail rights. Developer Akridge, which previously owned a two-acre parcel that the city seized and made part of the stadium site, is in court with the District over the property's value and is one of the most vocal detractors of the stadium design, according to The Post.
The D.C. Zoning Commission is set to consider the team's updated design Nov. 2. Reaction to its previous design was a mixed bag, with one commissioner describing it as "austere" and comparing it to a prison.
Demolition of the site began in April, and, at the time, Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser said the stadium project, with Turner Construction as general contractor, would generate 1,000 construction and permanent jobs, with local residents given a hiring advantage. Half of the commercial space near the stadium would also be set aside for local businesses.
In total, the facility is expected to create a $1 billion economic boon for the area The aging Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Memorial Stadium will continue to serve as the team's base until its Populous-designed stadium is ready. If the design is approved next month, team officials said construction would most likely start in January or February of 2017.