Earlier Monday, reports surfaced that the Washington Commanders had purchased $100 million worth of land in Woodbridge, Virginia for a potential site for a new stadium. The news created some hysteria among the Commanders fan base. However, the Washington Post’s Sam Fortier reports a clarification to the initial reports that should calm many nerves.
According to Fortier, a Virginia state senator, Sen. Scott A. Survell (D-Fairfax), said a lobbyist for the team says, the Commanders actually acquired the right to purchase the land in Woodbridge.
Essentially, the team paid a smaller amount to obtain the option to purchase 200 acres for $100 million.
To be fair, all of the initial reporting made it clear through sources that a stadium in Woodbridge was not definite. Also, other surrounding jurisdictions, including Loudoun County, Virginia, Prince George County, Maryland and Washington, D.C. remained options for a potential new stadium.
The Commanders current headquarters and practice facility is located in Loudoun County. The team’s current home stadium, FedEx Field, is located in PG County. Meanwhile, the Commanders desire to return to D.C. where the team played at RFK Stadium from 1961-1996.
Renderings of the $3 billion project at Woodbridge were obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. In addition to a 60,000-seat domed stadium, the team plans to have an amphitheater that seats up to 20,000, a small indoor music arena, bars and restaurants and high-end retail businesses among others.
Woodbridge’s distance from D.C. of 23 miles would be the third-farthest distance from a city center to a stadium in the NFL, according to the Post. Currently the San Francisco 49ers (42 miles) and the New England Patriots (28 miles) are the farthest.
The Commanders’ lease at FedEx Field expires in 2026. The team has played there since 1997 behind the vision of former owner Jack Kent Cooke.
While the purchase of the option is a huge step towards for the Commanders, nothing is in place. The team still needs to learn how much money Prince William County, Virginia and the state would provide towards the project. Maryland has already said it would commit $400 million for development surrounding FedEx Field in hopes the Commanders build a new stadium nearby.
