In a gathering of civic leaders on Tuesday, D.C. Mayor-elect Muriel E. Bowser said, "I support building a soccer stadium in the District of Columbia, and, more than that, I support spending public dollars to get it done." With that, she announced that the controversial plan to sell the Frank D. Reeves Center to Akridge in a landswap will not happen. Now, Bowser sees it as an "opportunity to build affordable housing at the Reeves Center site." Public outcry over the landswap occurred due to the undervaluing of the trade. A meeting for a markup of the soccer legislation has been scheduled for Friday, but could be delayed until next week. For the legislation to pass, the council must vote twice on it in December. Akridge President Matthew J. Klein said he was disappointed over the loss of the Reeves Center, saying, "We have a deal in place. It's a fair, open, and transparent deal, and it's been vetted more than maybe any deal I've ever seen in the District of Columbia." To learn more about just how big the D.C. United Stadium will be, see a previous Curbed DC post here with specifics on the costs and benefits.
· Muriel Bowser says she will remove Reeves Center sale from D.C. United stadium deal [WaPo]
· D.C. United Stadium to be MLS' Priciest Crown Jewel [Curbed DC]
Filed under: