Cardinal Way: Civility Rules encourages constructive dialogue on difficult issues. You can participate in the project by filling out this survey that asks your views : 1. Should the proposed arena be treated differently from any other economic development project? If so, why? 2. What economic impacts on Southwest and Southside should legislators look for when deciding whether to support the plan? 3. Would you be OK if this project went to Maryland? 4. What’s your favorite NBA or NHL team or do you have one?
See the other article in this package: “ Proposed Alexandria arena would be economic benefit for Southwest Virginia .”
It might seem a bit presumptuous for someone who lives in Northern Virginia to try to explain to taxpayers of Southside and Southwest why building a sports arena in Alexandria is bad deal for them. But I think it’s important to explain why everyone in Virginia should be opposed to this deal regardless of where they live.
You probably have heard that Gov. Glenn Youngkin wants to commit close to $1.5 billion in state financing to entice Ted Leonsis, the billionaire owner of the Washington Capitals and Wizards, to relocate his teams from D.C. to Alexandria’s Potomac Yard. You certainly might be wondering why such a short move makes any sense at all from a financial or transportation perspective (Hint: It doesn’t), or why a lot of residents of my hometown are strongly opposed to this deal too (Hint: traffic and other quality-of-life impacts).