Redskins Have “Started Process” Of Designing New Stadium

In an exclusive interview with Comcast Sportsnet, Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder said that the organization has "started the process" of designing a new stadium.

“Whether it's Washington, D.C., whether it's another stadium in Maryland, whether it's a stadium in Virginia, we've started the process,” Snyder said. “We are going to push forward. We've started meeting with architectural firms. We are in the process of developing."

Sources told News4 these plans possibly include installing a new, domed stadium at the site of the old RFK Stadium, where the team had played for nearly 40 years.

"It's by far the best location for a football stadium in the metropolitan region," D.C. Council member Jack Evans said. "We tried the FedEx experience, and it has not worked."

"Our team should be at home," Redskins fan Julie Patterson said. Her father used to work as a vendor at RFK. "Everybody's gonna put everything on the line to get the [Redskins]."

D.C. Council member Tommy Wells said he would support the stadium being brought back to D.C., depending on the source of funding.

"If he wants the city to pay for it -- which he has not said -- then we're going to have to talk a lot about that," Wells said, admitting RFK didn't do much for the Northeast D.C. neighborhood where it was constructed. "If it's a smart, new way to do a stadium, where there's retail involved, restaurants, it needs to be a contributing asset to our city and to that neighborhood.

Sources also informed NBC12 in Richmond that Snyder has met with Gov. Terry McAuliffe to discuss a potential stadium in Virginia.

“I come at this as the governor of the commonwealth of Virginia," McAuliffe said last month during a visit to Redskins training camp in Richmond. "I am the chief jobs creation officer. My job is to grow the economy and I have a team here that is growing the economy. All the players live in Virginia. Most of the season tickets I’m told are Virginians. Everyone comes at it from a different perspective. My perspective as governor is I love the economic activity.”

"Really if you want to say second-rate site, go to Virginia," Wells said.

The Redskins currently play in Landover at FedEx Field, which opened in 1997. The Redskins' lease in Landover runs for another 13 years.

"Prince George’s County is proud to be the game-day home to the Washington Redskins and County Executive [Rushern] Baker wants to keep them playing in our county for the next generation of fans. The Redskins have been great community partners and corporate citizens to Prince George’s County," Scott Peterson with Baker's office told News4 Wednesday night.

“We've already seen some preliminary drawings and I'm going to be very retro with it,” Snyder told CSN. “It's gonna feel like RFK. It's gonna move like RFK. I love that, I actually asked architectural firms to do it and they said that they can do it. I said that I think the lower bowl sections are going to want to rock the stadium like the old days.”

Snyder offered no timetable for when the proposal for a new stadium would be approved.


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