District of Columbia councilmember and mayor-elect Muriel Bowser professed strong support on Tuesday night for the plan to build a soccer-specific stadium for D.C. United in the Buzzard Point neighborhood of the nation's capital, informing a group of civic leaders that she planned to adjust the $300 million proposal to ensure a fair deal for the city and guide it through the City Council before year's end.
“I support building a soccer stadium in the District of Columbia, and, more than that, I support spending public dollars to get it done,” Bowser told the 100-plus in attendance at the gathering of the Federal City Council.
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“If we’re going to be a world-class capital, it’s important that we maintain the world’s sport, soccer, right here in the District of Columbia.”
United officials hailed Bowser's commitment to their future home.
"We are encouraged by the Mayor-Elect's comments tonight and look forward to seeing her proposal,” said United managing partner Jason Levien in a statement. “We are eager to work with her, the other members of the Council and the Mayor to get the stadium approved before the end of the year.”
Bowser, who takes over the mayor's office from incumbent Vincent Gray on Jan. 2, announced her intention to “de-link” the Reeves Center -- the aging city government building included as part of the complex land swaps in the current stadium plan -- from the Buzzard Point project, located on the Southwest waterfront. Bowser suggested that decoupling the two sites is in the best interests of both the city and the MLS club.
“When we do that, we will be able to focus our resources and attention on the Southwest site,” she said. “We will preserve the opportunity to build affordable housing at the Reeves Center site, and we will be able to ensure we have a feasible way forward on a new Reeves Center east of the Anacostia [River].”
