DULLES, Va. -- The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted 6-2 in favor of building a baseball stadium in order to host a minor league team Tuesday.
Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson and Hall of Fame hopefuls in their Little League uniforms lobbied in favor of the 5,500-seat ballpark.
"We need it. This is an opportunity. Don't mess it up," one Loudoun county resident warned the board Monday night.
But opponents worried about traffic, citing congestion at the already-crowded intersection of routes 7 and 28. Developers are pitching a proposal to build a four-lane road to the stadium and offer shuttle buses to ease congestion.
Some supervisors cried foul over the timing and financing of the ballpark and mixed-use community, which could feature a hotel, restaurants and a retail center. At least one environmental group cited a negative impact on streams, wildlife and taxes.
"I love all sports, but I think everyone here has a baseball memory more so than a football or basketball memory," Robinson said Monday night.
He is a member of the Kincora Baseball Advisory Board of Directors, the driving force behind the effort to bring an Atlantic League (AL) franchise to the county by the 2011 season. He is also in the ownership group of AL teams in York, Lancaster and southern Maryland.
Sports
"The [minor league] baseball is better than the Nationals or Orioles, to tell you the truth," Robinson joked.
View an animated fly-over of the proposed ballpark by clicking here.
