D.C. United reaches tentative stadium deal at Buzzard Point

By the start of the 2016 MLS season, D.C. United will be playing in state-of-the-art stadium just blocks away from the Southeast Waterfront. Several designs are still being considered and the facility is expected to seat between 20,000 and 25,000 fans. At least that’s what they were saying during the Thursday press conference that formally announced an agreement between the team and the District of Colombia.

“We are proud to say that D.C. United has achieved a major milestone towards establishing a permanent, state-of-the-art home in Washington, D.C.,” said United managing partner Jason Levien, who was part of a group that took control of the team about a year ago and immediately made building a new stadium their No. 1 priority. “This is a significant step forward, and we are going to continue to work diligently and collaboratively with the Mayor’s office and the D.C. Council to expedite this process and make this stadium a reality.”

Just as it seemed as if D.C. United’s season was beyond salvage, a rather significant ray of hope has broken through: the team and the District of Colombia have reached a tentative deal to build a stadium at Buzzard Point. The plan that the team’s owners and the mayor’s office have reached calls for a $300 million project that would be a public-private partnership and result in a stadium that would fit at least 20,000 people.

Before we start planning our trips to see a game along the DC waterfront, it’s worth pointing out that there are some rather large obstacles to overcome before this moves along.