In my blog on December 13th, I talked about the big news in regards to the Capitals leaving D.C. for Alexandria’s Potomac Yard which was 6 miles from where the Capitals currently play. If you would like to read more about those details here they are below.
But, fear not as of a couple days ago the DC Mayor Bowser and Ted Leonsis the CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment have finalized a deal to keep the Capitals in the downtown D.C. location till at least 2050. This will become a 3 year extension on the previous lease for the arena.
With this statement you may be asking wow that is a long time will there be any upgrades to the arena or outside the arena area? Well the answer is yes!
The District had committed to providing $500 million towards the renovation of Capital One Arena and an additional $15 million towards improvements of the alley area that connects Gallery Place to Capital One.
This cash will be dispersed in many ways, but this a tentative breakdown and plan for the renovations and upgrades.
- Develop the best sightlines for fans, premium hospitality options, better digital infrastructure and other critical improvements to modernize fan areas, enhance player spaces and the fan experience inside and out.
- An agreement to add nearly 200,000 square feet of newly programmed space throughout Capital One Arena and in the Gallery Place building next door
- Safety Improvements
- Seventeen (17) dedicated officers from 2 hours before game time to 2 hours after game time.
- Support our Athletes
- New Wizards Practice Facility, with options including top floors of Gallery Place
- The Mystics and Go-Go will continue to play in the arena but we are now allowed to designate 4 games per season and all playoff games, should we so desire, to play at Capital One Arena
- Larger Business Operation Improvement
- Taking control of Entertainment & Sports Arena management to maximize player space and practice courts
- Better Transportation-Related Benefits to Support Employees and Fans
- Transportation coordination on ingress/egress for events
- Dedicated ride share zone and drop off for events
- Consideration of moving the bus stop on H Street (which our guests and staff have strong concerns about walk in and around when arriving by metro to COA)
- Consideration of 200 parking spaces for arena staff
- Better Logistics Around Capital One Arena for More Efficient Operations
- As an example, streateries on 6th street across from our loading dock
- Truck parking for events
- Ability to close off F Street 2 hours before game
- Dedicated rideshare zones for events
- Better Management Around the Arena
- No vending/loitering/noise restrictions by creating Entertainment District
- Maintenance and landscaping around Downtown
These are all huge Ws in my opinion especially getting rid of the riff raff that hangout near the arena that makes it feel like it isn’t safe like a NYC street.
“We are going to have a state-of-the-art urban arena in Downtown DC and that’s a great deal for DC, for the teams, and for the fans,” said Mayor Bowser. “We made a great offer – and kept that offer on the table – because have known all along that this is a win-win for our city and the teams. This is a catalytic investment in Downtown DC. We are excited to have Monumental as our partners in DC’s Comeback and we look forward to working together to win for DC.”
I am super excited to see all the renderings of the upgrades on the inside and outside of Capital One. The arena experience is already top notch for games and I haven’t been inside the arena since 2016 because of my move to Arizona. So I expect them to create a top 5 NHL arena experience once the renovations are all completed.
The Morning Skate 