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

[alphabetical]

Yeah Ted, do the ‘right’ thing, incompetent local government be damned…

He's swapping one incompetent local government for another.

At least chinatown has infrastructure: parking, restaurants, a tunnel to I-395 5 blocks away, and 4 metro platforms under the arena. The new site is only serviced by RT1, whatever parking and restaurants they build, and two metro platforms that are above ground - it's a significant downgrade. I don't how anyone can think that the new site supports 18K fans.

 

[alphabetical]

I assume you don’t remember the DC hellscape that surrounded the arena when it opened? Yet somehow it all worked out just fine over time. Exactly as this will also.

I guess all concerns are equal in your mind. That's strange. Extra cops are just as easy to get as extra metro lines.

 

[Ajax1995]

He's swapping one incompetent local government for another.

At least chinatown has infrastructure: parking, restaurants, a tunnel to I-395 5 blocks away, and 4 metro platforms under the arena. The new site is only serviced by RT1, whatever parking and restaurants they build, and two metro platforms that are above ground - it's a significant downgrade. I don't how anyone can think that the new site supports 18K fans.

And I don’t know how anyone thinks what is there now is what is going to be there in 5-10 years?

You keep ignoring it when I point out what an incredible shithole the area around where the arena is now was when it opened. Lots of people had incredible concerns about going there, and rightfully so. But over time it improved and now it is a very nice area to go to.

Give it some time and I guarantee they will figure out the transportation issues that seem to be your obsession.

But no, when it opens there will be issues. Transportation will likely be problematic. There won’t be as many restaurants and other things right there as there are around the current arena. And yes, heaven forbid, there will be changes for the regular customers. But just like with the current arena when it opened, it will all work itself out and everything will be fine.

 

[Ajax1995]

I guess all concerns are equal in your mind. That's strange. Extra cops are just as easy to get as extra metro lines.

Sure in theory. But one of Ted’s stated complaints was that DC cut the number of officers allocated to the arena on event nights from 20 to 3 and when they complained about it and crime, as would be expected, increased, they were ignored.

So not only were they paying way way way over the going rate for the right to use the arena on the property they were getting incredibly shitty services for that.

But regardless moving to a different location is an unconscionable decision in your opinion. Ok, whatever, I disagree.

 

[alphabetical]

And I don’t know how anyone thinks what is there now is what is going to be there in 5-10 years?

You keep ignoring it when I point out what an incredible shithole the area around where the arena is now was when it opened. Lots of people had incredible concerns about going there, and rightfully so. But over time it improved and now it is a very nice area to go to.

Give it some time and I guarantee they will figure out the transportation issues that seem to be your obsession.

But no, when it opens there will be issues. Transportation will likely be problematic. There won’t be as many restaurants and other things right there as there are around the current arena. And yes, heaven forbid, there will be changes for the regular customers. But just like with the current arena when it opened, it will all work itself out and everything will be fine.

You seem really concerned about urban crime. I guess that's just a very important boogeyman for you.

it opened across the street from the portrait gallery. I wonder how that museum managed.

 

[alphabetical]

But regardless moving to a different location is an unconscionable decision in your opinion. Ok, whatever, I disagree.

Nice straw man you've built. I've stated repeatedly that the lack of connectivity is my concern. That's not an issue with every possible location, but it really is with this one. You haven't come close to addressing that, and you clearly won't. You just respond with whataboutism, crying about urban crime in DC, both now and in the past.

I guess we're having different conversations here, so I'm going to give up on talking to you. I'm not gaining anything from it, and you clearly aren't either.

 

[Ajax1995]

You seem really concerned about urban crime. I guess that's just a very important boogeyman for you.

Something tells me all your ‘wisdom’ comes without actually having experienced the opening of the arena that you now see as such a hallmark of DC winter sports fandom.

But best of luck. Enjoy the next few years of wonderfulness before it all comes crashing down and they move to Alexandria. I’m not sure how you are going to survive the incredible inconvenience when the new arena opens but something tells me you are going to make it.

 

[Vilica]

Nice straw man you've built. I've stated repeatedly that the lack of connectivity is my concern. That's not an issue with every possible location, but it really is with this one. You haven't come close to addressing that, and you clearly won't. You just respond with whataboutism, crying about urban crime in DC, both now and in the past.

I guess we're having different conversations here, so I'm going to give up on talking to you. I'm not gaining anything from it, and you clearly aren't either.

Clearly you think the train access is inadequate, but how different is it really from Navy Yard for people going to/coming from Nats games? Everybody's going one direction (mostly) on the Green Line postgame to transfer to different lines, it's a few stops to L'Enfant for Blue/Orange/Silver and Gallery Place for the Red Line, and it's probably about the same number of transit users.

Potomac Yard is also a few (more) stops from L'Enfant Plaza or Rosslyn (and Gallery Place), and can be fed by both Blue and Yellow, compared to Navy Yard's 1 line. The difference for Red Line users of travelling to Gallery Place before transferring to Green to Navy Yard, or transferring to Yellow to Potomac Yard is minimal. Presumably by the time the arena opens, the Yellow Line will again run to Fort Totten or higher, so people coming from that section of DC would have a 1 line/no transfer trip on the Yellow Line from Columbia Heights/Petworth, just like they'd have a 1 line/no transfer trip on the Green Line to Navy Yard.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Do you really think crime is going to be significantly better for miles away from DC? The crime will follow where the money goes.

 

[usiel]

I don't think crime is really in any practical calculus of this potential move, imho.

 

[swansonsays]

Thoughts on tying a rebrand in with the new arena? Obviously "Washington Capitals" stays, but new colors &/or logo. The current colors & logo will be just over 20 years old by 2028. I assumed a rebrand would tie in with the Fanatics sweaters debut, but maybe they do it all at once. Also, assuming Ovi plays out his contract, they'd give him the honor of having the first number retired at the new place, maybe?

 

[DWGie26]

All the complications aside (for now), including crime, access/parking, etc, this comes down to a vision that has been growing. All of it with fans at the center, even if it ultimately lines Ted’s pockets.

Ted has always been about redefining things. He wanted something more than just an arena in DC which required a big investment to refresh. DC didn’t want to meet him there. Found someone (Youngkin) who could help him with a vision in the form of land and funding. That vision grows and then DC can’t compete. This is still DC’s fault in my opinion. They could have been a partner in doing more in DC and DC would have benefited. Now the vision in VA is much better and he isn’t going back.

Like Ajax said repeatedly, it will be 5 years from now before it is ready. Many of the challenges will be addressed between now and then. More challenges will be solved as the areana “goes live’ and new things surface. And yes, a modernized, updated fan base willl be required and they will love it and the Caps will continue to thrive and move forward.

 

[alphabetical]

Clearly you think the train access is inadequate, but how different is it really from Navy Yard for people going to/coming from Nats games? Everybody's going one direction (mostly) on the Green Line postgame to transfer to different lines, it's a few stops to L'Enfant for Blue/Orange/Silver and Gallery Place for the Red Line, and it's probably about the same number of transit users.

Potomac Yard is also a few (more) stops from L'Enfant Plaza or Rosslyn (and Gallery Place), and can be fed by both Blue and Yellow, compared to Navy Yard's 1 line. The difference for Red Line users of travelling to Gallery Place before transferring to Green to Navy Yard, or transferring to Yellow to Potomac Yard is minimal. Presumably by the time the arena opens, the Yellow Line will again run to Fort Totten or higher, so people coming from that section of DC would have a 1 line/no transfer trip on the Yellow Line from Columbia Heights/Petworth, just like they'd have a 1 line/no transfer trip on the Green Line to Navy Yard.

There's an awful lot more parking around nationals park than this proposed site, better access by roads, and a 20 minute walk from the stadium to capitals south (that's what I've done after games to avoid the navy yard queues). This article published by metro recons 12k riders entered at navy yard after playoff games in 2012: https://planitmetro.com/2014/10/03/nationals-playoff-games-and-metrorail-ridership/. This new arena has announced limited parking spots, so metro ridership will need to be higher than those figures for any sellout crowds.

You don't care. That's fine. At this point, I don't either. There's no simple fix to this problem, and it'll be a point of criticism for years to come.

 

[Corby78]

Thoughts on tying a rebrand in with the new arena? Obviously "Washington Capitals" stays, but new colors &/or logo. The current colors & logo will be just over 20 years old by 2028. I assumed a rebrand would tie in with the Fanatics sweaters debut, but maybe they do it all at once. Also, assuming Ovi plays out his contract, they'd give him the honor of having the first number retired at the new place, maybe?

Please no, that would be a disaster. And why would you want to move away from the branding that won a cup not that long ago.

 

[Corby78]

As somebody who grew up going out to Landover to watch games, and now only gets back to DC to see a game occasionally, the move doesn’t effect me much. However having games downtown in any city is nice and almost always more convenient. FYI traffic at the cap center wasn’t great.

I put this on DC, they wanted to go cheap and lost. Ted has a vision of an arena+ that will be modern and be available for more events. I don’t blame him. Hopefully he does it right. However the traffic is an issue going down there and will need to be addressed as a part of the build. I’ll wait and see what that looks like before I pass judgement.

 

[usiel]

As somebody who grew up going out to Landover to watch games, and now only gets back to DC to see a game occasionally, the move doesn’t effect me much. However having games downtown in any city is nice and almost always more convenient. FYI traffic at the cap center wasn’t great.

I put this on DC, they wanted to go cheap and lost. Ted has a vision of an arena+ that will be modern and be available for more events. I don’t blame him. Hopefully he does it right. However the traffic is an issue going down there and will need to be addressed as a part of the build. I’ll wait and see what that looks like before I pass judgement.

Bolded is this for me. DC Gov. just dropped the ball when it comes to the anchor tenant of china town.

 

[swansonsays]

Please no, that would be a disaster. And why would you want to move away from the branding that one a cup not that long ago.

I'm not in favor of it, either. Was watching the wife open a Caps themed gift & realized the logo has been in use with these colors for a while. More of a "just curious" type thing on my end.

 

[usiel]

I think specifically with Ted it's because of his statements and actions when he purchased the Capitals. He was a fans owner, I messaged him on AOL a few times and he answered me in the way back machine. He's a different cat now and I don't think he's grown in a positive direction as an owner over the decades. I'm almost 40 now, I grew up with season tickets for as a kid and into my adult life once I could afford my own. I moved to PA and I guess from the tone of this thread I don't get a say anymore because I'm not a season ticket holder now. But me and my family have invested enough in his Monumental company over the years where I feel pretty comfortable stating my displeasure with his actions.

Always entitled to your opinion on this. I do recall the statement and generally hat he said when he took over the Capitals side. But things change and this is big business. I've mentioned it before but man the communication breakdown was pretty severe between the ownership and the DC Gov.. Lot of financial risk and challenges going in to build a new arena in Potomac Yards.

 

[DWGie26]

Thought this was interesting. I hadn’t really heard of it or followed it. Atlanta’s new complex similar to Crytpo.com and what Ted wants to do.

https://x.com/kevinweekes/status/1740071512357364074?s=61&t=fNvEhsVChuJLjd0Xq66I-Q

I hate not being to post images from X!

 

[alphabetical]

Thought this was interesting. I hadn’t really heard of it or followed it. Atlanta’s new complex similar to Crytpo.com and what Ted wants to do.

https://x.com/kevinweekes/status/1740071512357364074?s=61&t=fNvEhsVChuJLjd0Xq66I-Q

I hate not being to post images from X!

That's all well and good, but that location is 30 miles away from atlanta. From DC, 30 miles gets you to dulles, BWI, or even annapolis. I don't think that proposal compares to crypto.com in any meaningful way.

 

[DWGie26]

Fair. I was just at Crypto. It is magnificent. Downtown. Outside TV’s. Bars and restaurants and hotels. I was on a meeting with one of my reps and we called on AEG whom owns the Kings, Crypto, etc. Similar to Ted. interesting story.

Atlanta doesn’t compare in terms of proximity. But similar in that it is going after a different fan base and experience with a complex. Potomac years a bit in the middle since still close to DC but outside of the perimeter.

 

[usiel]

Fair. I was just at Crypto. It is magnificent. Downtown. Outside TV’s. Bars and restaurants and hotels. I was on a meeting with one of my reps and we called on AEG whom owns the Kings, Crypto, etc. Similar to Ted. interesting story.

Atlanta doesn’t compare in terms of proximity. But similar in that it is going after a different fan base and experience with a complex. Potomac years a bit in the middle since still close to DC but outside of the perimeter.

I generally call like much of Arlington and Alexandria basically semi-urban.

Had a coworker who I believe just went there who is a big hockey fan but didn't ask about the experience.

One thing I hadn't mentioned that I dig about this the potential deal is having that smaller 6k arena which can open the door for more types of entertaininment especially those that a full arena is too large for.

 

[John Price]

Thought this was interesting. I hadn’t really heard of it or followed it. Atlanta’s new complex similar to Crytpo.com and what Ted wants to do.

https://x.com/kevinweekes/status/1740071512357364074?s=61&t=fNvEhsVChuJLjd0Xq66I-Q

I hate not being to post images from X!

just replace x with Twitter

 

[StrikingDistance]

I generally call like much of Arlington and Alexandria basically semi-urban.

Had a coworker who I believe just went there who is a big hockey fan but didn't ask about the experience.

One thing I hadn't mentioned that I dig about this the potential deal is having that smaller 6k arena which can open the door for more types of entertaininment especially those that a full arena is too large for.

Arlington & Alexandria are definitely part of the 'DC urban area'. Hell, anything inside the beltway, I consider DC metro now. It all looks and feels the same. I live in Tysons and when they announced their plans for expanding the area, they publicly said in public presentations, they were modeling the build after Rosslyn.

This arena is not much further away for dedicated fans. I only hope the product on the ice and game experience get better. Isn't that the goal?

 

[usiel]

Arlington & Alexandria are definitely part of the 'DC urban area'. Hell, anything inside the beltway, I consider DC metro now. It all looks and feels the same. I live in Tysons and when they announced their plans for expanding the area, they publicly said in public presentations, they were modeling the build after Rosslyn.

This arena is not much further away for dedicated fans. I only hope the product on the ice and game experience get better. Isn't that the goal?

Speaking of Tysons it could have been a good location for a new arena but too late now.