A move to D.C. means the Washington Commanders would leave behind an aging stadium in Prince George’s County, Mayland.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Monday morning that the Commanders have already agreed to pay for a study on what to do with the site that currently houses Northwest Stadium in Landover.
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WATCH HEREThe team also "committed to carrying out a speedy stadium demolition, beginning within 90 days of the first game in the new stadium, and to provide maintenance and security at the site as it is redeveloped," Moore said in a statement.
Moore plans to work with state and local governments, plus the people of Landover, to decide how to use the space, he told News4's Joseph Olmo. A future development may include entertainment venues and housing.
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SIGN UP He said the 200-acre site is currently unsatisfactory and underutilized.
“We are going to turn that area into an area where there’s going to be real opportunities for the people in the neighborhoods,” Moore said this morning. “For people to be able to live and stay and play and have an attraction that’s better than what it is right now.”
Decades ago, after the Commanders left D.C., their vacated property at the RFK Stadium site eventually became blighted.
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“We’re not going to be left with what RFK is right now,” Moore said.
Moore said in a press release that the team agreed to a timeline that will prevent that situation.
Commanders co-owner Josh Harris said the organization is working with Maryland to ensure Northwest Stadium doesn't become blighted like RFK Stadium.
"Obviously we've made commitments in Maryland, you know, as to ... making that site a great site and not having what happened to D.C., which is RFK just literally sat there and became a mass of concrete. That's not going to happen," Harris said.
"We've already committed it won't, and we're engaging with the state of Maryland as to what we're going to do with that site to make it great for Maryland," he continued.
Harris pointed out the team has its business operations in Maryland and a training complex in Ashburn, Virginia.
"If we can accomplish our stadium in D.C., we're engaging the whole area," Harris said.
Moore, in a press release, said Maryland leaders fought to keep the Commanders but also planned for the team's departure.
"What’s important going forward is that the Landover community receives the investment that it deserves. Currently we have a nearly 200-acre property that gets used eight times a year for a few hours, and I have said from my earliest days as governor that the people of the area deserve better. We will partner with the Washington Commanders to make sure that they follow through on the promises they made and deliver an impactful new development that activates every day of the year. We have already had a number of conversations with the team and other stakeholders about how to reimagine this site; that work will continue through a study funded by the team and carried out in partnership with the Maryland Stadium Authority," the statement said.
