D.C. United managing partner Jason Levien expressed optimism about new D.C. United stadium will be approved by the D.C. Council this fall, clearing the way for the new Buzzard Point facility.
D.C. United owners have been working on a new-stadium plan for years, and the effort to place the facility in the Buzzard Point area is the closest they’ve come to closing the deal. The proposal: D.C. will enact a series of land swaps that will essentially spend $120 million on land for the stadium, along with $40 million in tax breaks over 10 years, and D.C. United will build the new facility. Debate over the proposal is expected to heat up this fall.
In a Comcast SportsNet interview, Levien was optimistic about the stadium’s chances:
“Last time I was on, I said I was cautiously optimistic about the stadium,” Levien said in the interview. “I am going to tell our fans out there we are ready to remove the ‘cautiously’ from that statement.”
Levien watched the game Sunday with city councilmember Muriel Bowser, who has emerged as a leading candidate to become D.C.’s mayor in November. Levien said Bowser has been “very supportive” of the Buzzard Point initiative and that getting her involved in the progress of the stadium will be critical.
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