Alexandria’s Hopes for Stadium Deal Dashed

After two professional sports teams backed out of a deal to build a stadium in a vacant lot in Alexandria, Virginia, a rental car company wants to buy the property for car storage.

Local city council members expressed frustration, saying the city has invested in public infrastructure and public transit in the area anticipating more development. In an article for WTOP News, Scott Gelman notes that the city had been looking for ways to transform the Potomac Yard property into a “high-density, high-activity center” that would drive economic development.

According to Councilmember Canek Aguirre, “We need to diversify our tax base, especially on the commercial side. A huge burden falls on our residents in terms of the residential taxes that they have to pay.”