Monumental still hopeful about Alexandria arena plans despite uncertain future

Monumental Sports & Entertainment is still hopeful about plans for a new arena in Alexandria, Virginia, despite uncertainty.

Just three weeks ago, the deal effectively had three routes; as of Thursday night, it was down to just one.

Still, Monica Dixon of Monumental said company leaders feel positive.

“We were really encouraged by yesterday’s action. The vote was very strong. It was bipartisan,” she said in an interview Friday.

She referenced an 81-to-18 vote in favor of the House of Delegates version of the state budget bill that includes the arena deal.

The Senate passed its own version of the budget on Thursday, without any language on arena plans.

A handful of senators and delegates will meet in what's called conference committee to hash out the differences between the two budgets.

As it stands, the arena deal has a reenactment clause built in, which means that even if it's passed and signed by the governor, the General Assembly will have to give it one more vote of approval after a full calendar year. That could affect the construction timeline, Dixon said.

“We hope it won't. We hope it will be something that'll be worked out in conference, and we believe we'll be able to move forward this summer and really start to build out the plans for how it will look and when it will be built,” she said.

There is no immediate plan for a sportsbook in Alexandria near the planned arena, Dixon said. Further conversations may follow the approval of the project.

Virginia's General Assembly typically hammers out its final budget proposal in the final seconds of session, which is scheduled to adjourn on March 9.