Buzzard Point Commercial Property Owners

October 7, 2016
OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER CHARLES ALLEN
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 406
Washington, DC 20004
Re: D.C. United Soccer Stadium Plans
Dear Councilmember Allen:
We are writing to express our concerns with the current design of the D.C. United Soccer Stadium and to
make you aware of our plans to contest the proposed design leading up to and during the Zoning
Commission hearing on November 2nd.
First, as a group, we are supportive of a new stadium on Buzzard Point. The District has done its part to
deliver a prepared site to the team, and Buzzard Point represents a unique opportunity to both construct an
urban stadium as well as accelerate economic development in a neighborhood in need of stimulus.
However, as direct neighbors we are deeply concerned with the manner in which the current stadium
design integrates into the fabric of the neighborhood. The team has made clear that the proposed design
prioritizes the operational efficiently of the stadium at the cost of the surrounding neighborhood. With
almost no exterior facing retail, a bollard-lined alley on the east side of the stadium, and the prominent
location of the loading docks and broadcast vehicle parking lot, the stadium is a far cry from the original
concepts published during the legislative process that better integrated into the neighborhood.
If designed thoughtfully, the stadium will anchor the amenity base of the neighborhood for decades to
come and promote surrounding economic development similar to what occurred around the Verizon
Center. We fear that the current design will actually stifle economic development and fail to achieve
many of the goals of the District’s $150 million public investment.
There is a better way. In a series of meetings starting in October 2015, we presented D.C. United’s
owners and architects with a list of neighborhood issues as well as two alternative designs that addressed
the concerns while leaving the team’s soccer program materially untouched. The primary differences
between the alternative plans and the team’s PUD submission are that the alternative designs allow for a
wider and more functional 1st Street SW, adds outward facing retail to the east side of the stadium and
relocates loading to the southwest corner of the stadium.
Together, our recommendations will:
 Add significant value to both the stadium and the team’s ancillary development parcels;
 Increase the team’s retail revenue potential within the stadium footprint on event and non-event
days alike;
 Create free-standing land parcels for ancillary development that front on an activated 1st Street
retail street;

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Better connect the stadium to the waterfront on both the east and south sides;
Create a more exciting game-day environment for D.C. United’s fans that will encourage them to
arrive at the games earlier and stay longer afterwards.

While the team did make changes to the plans they submitted, they continue to fall well short of
expectations. Unless further changes to the plans are made in advance of the November 2 nd Zoning
Commission hearing, we will have no choice except to actively contest the zoning application and seek to
have the Zoning Commission compel the team to make changes.
Specific concerns with the Existing D.C. United Stadium Plans
1) Creation of the 1st Street, SW “Alley”. The proposed design creates a narrow, bollard-lined 1st
Street alley on the east side of the stadium that will not alleviate traffic concerns south of the
stadium or create an activated, pedestrian friendly retail environment at the entrance to Buzzard
Point. To make matters worse, the south end of this alley is now planned for a fenced-in
broadcast vehicle surface parking lot. We appreciate that the team has tried to create a vehicular
passageway, but it is insufficient to accomplish the goals of integrating the stadium into the
neighborhood.
2) No Potential for Street-Facing Retail: In order to activate the pedestrian experience around the
stadium on non-event days, especially on the east side, there needs to be street-facing retail
surrounding the stadium. Currently, 97% of the exterior wall of the stadium is designed as a
blank or non-activated wall or fence. The only exterior facing retail is a small space on the north
side of the stadium dedicated to the team store. For comparison sake, 65% of the perimeter wall
of the Verizon Center engages the Penn Quarter neighborhood with outward facing bars,
restaurants and fitness centers. Without street-level activation, the stadium will disconnect
Buzzard Point from the rest of the District and create a dead zone in the neighborhood on nongame days.
3) Loading Through the Front Door: The proposed design will have all delivery trucks and
tractor-trailers entering on Potomac Avenue and driving down the inside of the main concourse of
the stadium to a loading dock on the interior of the stadium’s east side. This effectively makes
the exterior wall of 1st Street unavailable for restaurants and retail and creates a non-activated
wall running the length of the stadium’s east side. The team believes the majority of people will
enter and exit from the northeast stadium entry. We agree with that view, and feel that the
loading and back-of-house facilities should be relocated to the west side of the stadium, across
from the Fort McNair wall, and away from the primary entrance to the stadium and the front door
of Buzzard Point.
4) Plaza: On non-game days, the very large open plaza proposed along the Potomac Avenue rightof-way will likely be desolate and uninviting, similar to L’Enfant Plaza or Freedom Plaza. Largescale, urban plazas typically become liabilities rather than assets unless they are highly activated
and populated on a daily basis. It would be more effective to re-introduce 1 st and S Streets SW
and close them to vehicular traffic on game days, utilizing the street right-of-way as a plaza. This
strategy is utilized effectively in other successful urban stadiums such as Fenway Park (Yawkey

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 Way), the Verizon Center (F Street), and Nationals Park (Half Street). Eliminating the proposed
plaza will make room for additional street-facing retail as well as smaller, defined gathering
spaces.
As Buzzard Point neighbors who are invested in the area’s success, we appreciate your attention to our
concerns. We remain supportive of the goal of building a world-class stadium for D.C. United that works
for the team, the District and the neighborhood.
We hope you agree that addressing the issues listed above will enhance the value of the stadium as well as
the neighborhood. We respectfully request you withhold your support for this stadium design until the
majority of these concerns can be met, and that you share these concerns with the team and your
colleagues on the City Council.
D.C. deserves a world-class soccer stadium. The City has done its part. Now it’s time for the team to
step up and show they are as committed to the District as the District is to them. The current design
proposals suggest that is not the case.
We remain available to discuss these matters at your convenience.
Sincerely,

Matthew J. Klein

Name: Michael Stevens
Capitol Riverfront BID

(signatures compiled)

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