Caps and Wiz moving to Potomac Yards?

[imref]

Not sure that Ted has ever actually driven to Reagan National.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://monumentalsports.com/2024/01/a-letter-from-ted-leonsis/

The 4.5 mile distance from Chinatown to Potomac Yards is further than the 4.5 mile distance from Potomac Yards to Chinatown. The bridge and transportation network is like spokes from DC and Gallery Place. Potomac Yards is out on a spoke. To go to Chinatown, any of the bridges into the core of DC gets you there. The whole road network of DC connects to Chinatown, as do the bus routes. Potomac Yards connects to Central DC pretty much only by 395. For Maryland, instead of going in via a feeder along a spoke, you pretty much have to go to the Beltway and then back in. There's no functional bus connection to DC, and only one metro track spoke instead of being central to all off them. It really cuts off half the Caps / Wiz fan base from going to games, doesn't work well for VA metro riders, and isn't that much more convenient for the VA portion of the fanbase that drives. The new location probably benefits Van Dorn / Springfield area fans, and that's about it.

[Natsinpwc]

Coming from Eastern PWC will be much easier public transportation wise.  Just drive to the Springfield metro and then just one line and a few stops.  To be honest used to always drive into Chinatown because the metro took so long after games and having to change lines.  Driving to the new location would seem to be a mess.

[imref]

The 4.5 mile distance from Chinatown to Potomac Yards is further than the 4.5 mile distance from Potomac Yards to Chinatown. The bridge and transportation network is like spokes from DC and Gallery Place. Potomac Yards is out on a spoke. To go to Chinatown, any of the bridges into the core of DC gets you there. The whole road network of DC connects to Chinatown, as do the bus routes. Potomac Yards connects to Central DC pretty much only by 395. For Maryland, instead of going in via a feeder along a spoke, you pretty much have to go to the Beltway and then back in. There's no functional bus connection to DC, and only one metro track spoke instead of being central to all off them. It really cuts off half the Caps / Wiz fan base from going to games, doesn't work well for VA metro riders, and isn't that much more convenient for the VA portion of the fanbase that drives. The new location probably benefits Van Dorn / Springfield area fans, and that's about it.

Yeah. CapitalOne is about a 5-10 minute walk from MetroCenter. It will be a nightmare for MD and DC folks to get to Potomac Yards.

Realizing we could easily walk from MetroCenter instead of having to switch lines to get to Gallery Place was an epiphany.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Coming from Eastern PWC will be much easier public transportation wise.  Just drive to the Springfield metro and then just one line and a few stops.  To be honest used to always drive into Chinatown because the metro took so long after games and having to change lines.  Driving to the new location would seem to be a mess.

That's sort of my point about Springfield / Van Dorn. It does open up the metro to anyone who would come through there. That would be all of I-95 south. It also opens up Huntington as an option for over the Wilson bridge folks who don't use Branch Ave.

[imref]

That's sort of my point about Springfield / Van Dorn. It does open up the metro to anyone who would come through there. That would be all of I-95 south. It also opens up Huntington as an option for over the Wilson bridge folks who don't use Branch Ave.

Blue line stops at MetroCenter. From there it's 5-10 minute walk down G or F street to Capital One. There's no need to change trains to easily reach CapitalOne.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Yeah. CapitalOne is about a 5-10 minute walk from MetroCenter. It will be a nightmare for MD and DC folks to get to Potomac Yards.

Realizing we could easily walk from MetroCenter instead of having to switch lines to get to Gallery Place was an epiphany.

the whole point of the original metro layout was to move people in/out of the Mall, Penn Quarter, and K Street.

[Natsinpwc]

Blue line stops at MetroCenter. From there it's 5-10 minute walk down G or F street to Capital One. There's no need to change trains to easily reach CapitalOne.

Have you ever ridden the Blue Line all the way from Metro Center to Franconia Springfield? Or vice versa? Takes forever and especially at night. It was always faster to take a yellow from the arena and then switch to a blue line down the road.  The metro is almost totally useless for people down the I95 corridor.  By the time you get off 95 and park and walk to the metro you would almost be to the DC line in your car. 

[Natsinpwc]

That's sort of my point about Springfield / Van Dorn. It does open up the metro to anyone who would come through there. That would be all of I-95 south. It also opens up Huntington as an option for over the Wilson bridge folks who don't use Branch Ave.

I’m assuming they know where their fanbase resides and this is part of the decision process.  Sucks for Caps fans in DC and MD. 

[Five Banners]

https://monumentalsports.com/2024/01/a-letter-from-ted-leonsis/

I distinctly recall his indicating 66% of the season-ticket base for the Caps came from Northern Virginia, but now it’s roughly even between Virginia and Maryland? OK – – of course this location and the particular Metro, traffic, and parking situation doesn’t seem more advantageous for the MD and DC people going to what he’s alleging is the current fan support split, so there’s that.

Also, this seems downright insulting:

“Multiple traffic analyses are underway to determine infrastructure needs related to the building of the Entertainment District.”

So roll it out without a word in December, get it before the legislature in January, and then say oh yeah we’re (A.k.a. whoever he as a private entity happens to hire ) figuring out this whole traffic thing – – evidently without a word as far as community input in there? Is that about right?

The less this enterprise is empowered by such subsidies, the better. This needs to be DOA.

[imref]

a big red flag in his letter was that the new sports complex would only have 2,500 parking spots.

That's a tiny fraction of what's available around CapOne.

[imref]

Have you ever ridden the Blue Line all the way from Metro Center to Franconia Springfield? Or vice versa? Takes forever and especially at night. It was always faster to take a yellow from the arena and then switch to a blue line down the road.  The metro is almost totally useless for people down the I95 corridor.  By the time you get off 95 and park and walk to the metro you would almost be to the DC line in your car. 

I come in from Vienna on the orange line if I take Metro to games. Usually it's just easier/cheaper to drive and park a couple of blocks from the arena for about $20. I'm way out in western PWC and it usually takes about an hour to get to most games and about 45 minutes to get home.

[Five Banners]

I like it when my brain works somewhat:

https://web.archive.org/web/20010425153541/http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/ifm/research/panel2001/keynote.htm

Leonsis: “If you take a step back and look at the amount of time that people invest to go to a game, especially in DC, 66 percent of our audience is from northern Virginia.“

That seems like even more of a direct comparison compared with today’s claim:

“Between the Capitals and the Wizards, 44% of fans who attend games are from Virginia, 41% are from Maryland and 15% are from Washington, DC. The teams represent the DMV, and they belong to the entire DMV. This will never change.”

Both percentages are from when the Caps were downtown, not when we were talking about the move from Landover to DC. Color me skeptical that as Clarendon, Ballston, Potomac Yards, etc. filled in from 2001 to now with a key targeted demographic for the team, the percentage of Virginia fans went down a whopping 22% from 2001.

Which do you think is more likely to be closer to accuracy, the 2001 figure that he reportedly gave, or the current one that seems to carry with it numbers that may happen to promote an image of an equitable level of regional support to DC and Maryland fans commensurate with the teams all belonging to the “entire DMV“ messaging, even as the team moves out of DC proper?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Have you ever ridden the Blue Line all the way from Metro Center to Franconia Springfield? Or vice versa? Takes forever and especially at night. It was always faster to take a yellow from the arena and then switch to a blue line down the road.  The metro is almost totally useless for people down the I95 corridor.  By the time you get off 95 and park and walk to the metro you would almost be to the DC line in your car. 

metro center is no change of trains for folks coming in on the Orange and Silver. I suppose someone driving in on 66 or 50 can get over to P-Yards easier than Gallery Place.

[Natsinpwc]

I suspect that 66 percent applies to Caps fans and then the other numbers seem to be Caps and Wizards.  Most Wizards fans have traditionally been from DC and MD.  But just my guess at what seems like confusion. 

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Everyone is mad at you, well played.

[Smithian]

Northern Virginia NIMBY must stand and fight!

[KnorrForYourMoney]

I suspect that 66 percent applies to Caps fans and then the other numbers seem to be Caps and Wizards.  Most Wizards fans have traditionally been from DC and MD.  But just my guess at what seems like confusion. 

Yeah, it basically says that in the quote.  Anything from 2001 would be purely in reference to the Caps since Ted didn't own the Wizards at the time.

[imref]

Northern Virginia NIMBY must stand and fight!

https://wjla.com/news/local/alexandria-city-potomac-yard-virginia-washington-wizards-capitals-stop-the-arena-protests-opposition-dc-capital-one-town-hall-sports-fans-coalition-national-consumers-league

also worth a read:

 https://www.fieldofschemes.com/2024/01/29/20888/virginia-arena-fight-does-1b-in-spending-cost-1b-or-can-it-be-recouped-in-magic-beans/

[imref]

Seems to be as well thought out as the A’s move to Vegas:

https://wtop.com/alexandria/2024/02/first-look-at-transportation-plans-for-potomac-yard-entertainment-district/

[1995hoo]

What would be nice is if the new expanded Long Bridge (railroad bridge over the Potomac next to the 14th Street Bridge) could be expanded prior to this project. There are plans to construct a second span at the Long Bridge to allow four-track railroad operations across the Potomac, which would in turn allow for additional service and perhaps for MARC service to continue to Alexandria. If they could do that, it would provide another option for getting to Union Station or beyond into Maryland.

I went to a Kraken game in Seattle last November and I was kind of pleasantly surprised that your game ticket also gets you free travel on local mass transit to and from the game, including free transfers between modes. I didn't necessarily "need" it (my hotel was a mile from the arena), but I used it to ride the monorail both ways because my feet were tired. It worked extremely well. I thought it was pretty cool that I could have then transferred to the light rail a block or two away from the monorail had my hotel been further away. I can't ever imagine anything like that being set up here, but I was rather impressed by it and I found myself wondering how much it costs and who pays for it.

[imref]

if they build an arena with just 2,500 parking spots, it will be an absolute nightmare.

[Five Banners]

if they build an arena with just 2,500 parking spots, it will be an absolute nightmare.

I’m still stunned at how pathetic the rendering from “Monumental ALX” looks. This is really the first look at transportation plans that are going to greet the public and state officials? Don’t forget that Monumental put up some fact check page seeming to wave aside the traffic concerns. What a bad joke this continues to look like.

[HalfSmokes]

I guess the plan is shuttle buses? Has that ever worked long term for any stadium?

[HalfSmokes]

I’m still stunned at how pathetic the rendering from “Monumental ALX” looks. This is really the first look at transportation plans that are going to greet the public and state officials? Don’t forget that Monumental put up some fact check page seeming to wave aside the traffic concerns. What a bad joke this continues to look like.

(Image removed from quote.)

Someone wanted to make it look cute and hand made. I guess it's better if people talk about the font and drawing than the actual plan (the 'multiple exit directions' all leading to Rt 1 was especially comical)