Washington Redskins New Stadium Location Could Overlook DC, MD and VA

The Washington Redskins appear to be pushing towards building a new stadium for the first time under Dan Snyder’s ownership. Recently the team surveyed fans on what the stadium should feature both inside and around the venue. The process has been ongoing for several years now, having already started talks with area officials.

Landover, Maryland has housed FedEx Field for going on 13 years and its lease isn’t up until 2027. However, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the team expedite the process and have a new stadium built a lot sooner. In fact, I’m almost expecting that to be the case.

When it comes to the stadium location, it is pretty simple — if you build it, they will come. Redskins fans will travel the country to see their team, regardless of the record, because they’re addicted to all things burgundy and gold. But if Dan Snyder wants to maximize the benefits that will come with a new stadium — location, location, location will be everything.

One location, according to a state official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it’s early in the process, cited the National Harbor area as an attractive location for Washington’s next stadium. Specifically, the land behind Oxon Hill Farm (that’s owned by the farm but is not used) which overlooks both the District and Alexandria, Virginia. It is also less than a mile across the river from the Washington Nationals stadium. “If Dan Snyder wants a Super Bowl and other big events in this new stadium, the closer it is to DC and the Harbor, the better. It just makes more sense from a financial standpoint,” said the state official.

I visited the location and toured the area behind Oxon Hill Farm (pictures taken from my iPhone are below). The location is loaded with flat land.

Virginia appears to be the front runner as the location of Washington’s next stadium. All dots seemingly point to that with the team’s training facility, training camp and player homes all in Northern Virginia. However, the city of Richmond has already had their struggles to meet financial obligations at the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center. Although, the team still plans to return there for training camp in Richmond later this summer. 

Dan Snyder will have an interesting dilemma on his hands in terms of deciding where the next stadium should be located. In an interview last year Snyder mentioned DC, VA and MD (DMV) as all being options. It’s likely to come down to which location offers the most.

Having a stadium that overlooks the DMV would be ideal. Which, of course, truly makes keeping the stadium in Prince Georges County, Maryland an enticing option for both the team and county. “It has been a financial benefit to the county and the state,” said Obie Patterson, Vice Chair of District 8, whose constituent areas include the National Harbor. “Of course, you know, we do get taxes from all the things — as far as the concession stands, etc. We also have established with them a foundation where they provide money — non profit organization that helps with community projects, be it Domestic Violence, Breast Cancer week, Thanksgiving Turkey giveaways. So I’ve had some personal involvement with that as well.”

Councilman Patterson, in an interview with Pro Player Insiders, expressed the county’s interest in keeping the Washington Redskins in Prince Georges County. “I would think so,” he said. “Given the fact they’re here already and given the fact we do get some revenue from the stadium. Even the officers that we provide on football Sundays, we do get reimbursed for those hours they put in. So, like I said, it provides some financial resources. As a former delegate when this [FedEx Field] got done, we did look at the financial resources that would be coming to the county and state – and used that as a measure of saying that it would be a positive factor for the county.”

One concern with the idea of building a stadium in the National Harbor area would be transportation. “I would be one that would be highly in opposition to that until someone comes out and figures out how we’re going to move around in District 8,” said Councilman Patterson. “Traffic is also now, in terms of 210 [Indian Head HWY], 95 coming through National Harbor. So if we’re going to build any major construction facility of that nature, we certainly would have to address transportation very, very early in the game.”

While transportation is important, I don’t believe it will be a deal breaker for any location. Even in Landover, where the current stadium is located, a special exit (Arena Drive) was built from Interstate 495. So it wouldn’t be anything revolutionary for changes in traffic direction to be made. It’s something the area is already working on near the Harbor with the development of MGM Resort-Casino. Not to mention, there’s metro access directly across the bridge in Alexandria, Va. Additional metro access has been in the works near the Harbor as well. 

Another issue that could play a part in the decision of the team’s next stadium location is their name. DC has been vocal about their disinterest in the team returning without a new name. Some delegates in Maryland have sounded off about it. However, Virginia has been pretty silent, which is another worthy mention for dot connecting.

“I’m not sure to the extent that it would be an issue,” said Councilman Obie Patterson. “But certainly I do think it would be a concern for many of the elected officials and non-elected officials in Prince Georges County and the state of Maryland. I would hate to say, but even if they attempt to move back to DC, I think that would be something that would be put on the table. Quite frankly, if they were to resubmit the application to take on any additional sites in Prince Georges County, I would hope that would be a top discussion for the expansion of the name and team in Prince Georges County.”

It should be noted that this interview with Councilman Patterson occurred prior to Maryland electing Larry Hogan as Governor. The new state Governor has been pretty vocal about his view on the team’s name. “I like to call them the Washington Redskins and I don’t think the government has any business whatsoever trying to tell a private enterprise what they should call themselves,” Hogan told the Washington Post in October. Hogan’s Lieutenant Governor, Boyd Rutherford, also said in October, that “no such strings would be attached” for the team to stay in Maryland in regards to changing the name. Governor Hogan has already made his views known to the team and recently participated in Team President Bruce Allen’s infamous Harvest Fest.

Most fans of the team would love to see the Redskins return to DC. However, having a location that borders both DC and VA could be a quality consolation prize. It would be slightly closer to Ashburn, where the training facility is located, than the current commute to Landover. Or if the team decides to move the training facility as well — Fairfax, Virginia would be even closer. If Dan Snyder is smart, he will chose the location closest to the future destination spot for tourist. That spot is the National Harbor, which will be the mecca for visitors in coming years, and will soon have its own area code.