Details Finalized For Wizards Facility At St. Elizabeths
Mayor Bowser has submitted an agreement to the DC Council for the proposed Wizards practice facility at St. Elizabeths, and helped mark the occasion by doing a little demolition work.
The Mayor finalized the details on a $55M agreement between the District, Events DC, and Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the owners of the Washington Wizards, Capitals and Mystics. Prior to the submission, Mayor Bowser took part in a ceremonial demolition and actually jumped behind the controls of an excavator, helping to destroy two vacant buildings at the project site, the Washington Post reports.
Events DC and the District are on the hook for $27M and $23M, respectively, courtesy of taxpayer dollars, with Monumental picking up the tab for the balance. If approved, plans call for a 5,000-seat sports and entertainment venue that would be publicly owned and operated by Events DC. The arena would open in 2018 and serve as a practice facility for the Wizards and a home arena for the Mystics, as well as hosting other entertainment options.
The proposed facility has been met with a mix of excitement and concern from area residents, with the concerns leaning towards the project’s effects on housing prices, and whether promised jobs and training will come to fruition. [WaPo]
