WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL: JLL, Robert Bobb Group have conducted big studies for the District before.
The District has named a team of consultants to help it study financing models for investment in new and existing sports stadiums, not only to address potential funding for a new Washington Commanders stadium, but also potential capital outlays for Nationals Park and Capital One Arena.
JLL and the Robert Bobb Group — founded by the eponymous D.C. city administrator under Mayor Tony Williams — will lead a study in conjunction with the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. The District said the consultants will study the economic and fiscal impact of sports teams and venues, financing mechanisms and comparable stadium projects, and “the impact of potential relocations of existing major sports teams into the District.”
Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration issued the request for proposals in August, shortly after a group led by billionaire investor Josh Harris acquired the Washington Commanders for $6.5 billion. The new ownership appeared to reopen the door to a new football stadium on the RFK Stadium lot — a door that had been locked shut as long as the team was owned by Dan Snyder. The Commanders are searching for a new home, either in D.C., Virginia or Maryland, to replace FedEx Field in Landover.
Bowser has said revitalizing the RFK Stadium site and returning the Commanders to Washington are among her top priorities, as a means of breathing new life into the D.C. economy.
“I think the job of being Mayor in a post-Covid environment is different than it was in my first eight years, and part of that has to do with the recovery of our downtown and our economy,” Bowser said Monday.
But a new football stadium is only one item on the agenda, as both the Washington Nationals and Monumental Sports & Entertainment are lobbying for upgrades to their respective arenas — Nationals Park and Capital One Arena.
In the statement, acting Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert said the study “will continue our work to support D.C.’s sports teams and further understand their contribution to our city’s economic and cultural landscape.”
The purpose of the study is to “deliver a credible understanding of the actual and potential fiscal, economic, and community impact of sports and major sports teams to inform conversations and decisions about potential future investments,” according to the D.C. statement. Both firms have previously conducted large-scale studies for the District — JLL on the Southwest Waterfront and Nationals Park, and the Robert Bobb Group on a new soccer stadium at Buzzard Point.
