Washington Commanders Consider Stadium Sites In Woodbridge, Dumfries, And Sterling: Report

VIRGINIA — The Washington Commanders will consider three sites in northern Virginia for the team's new football stadium, according to a report from WUSA9. The prospective sites are in Sterling, Woodbridge, and Dumfries.

Once the team's lease at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., expires after the 2027 season, the franchise plans to build a new $3 billion stadium complex for the 2028 NFL season.

In documents obtained by WUSA9, team officials outlined three sites in Prince William County and Loudoun County.

Site A is in Dumfries, in the Potomac Shores development. Potomac Shores is a residential area under construction along the Potomac River, east of Interstate 95.

Site B is in Woodbridge, near Telegraph Road and Summit School Road. The area is near the Potomac Mills mall, 26 miles south of Washington, D.C.

Site C is in Sterling, at the Loudoun Quarries. This site is the closest to D.C., and it is the only one proposed near a Metro station. The Silver Line extension, which could open this spring, includes a stop at Innovation Center.

Lawmakers In VA, DC, MD Weigh In On Stadium

This month, the Senate and House of Delegates in the Virginia General Assembly passed bills to establish a statewide "football stadium authority." If signed into law, the authority could sell bonds to raise up to $1 billion for a new stadium, according to the Washington Post. The Washington Commanders would be responsible for raising the remaining funds.

The bills differ in the two houses of Virginia's legislature. The House of Delegates' bill would need to be approved by the Senate, and the Senate's bill would need to be approved by the House of Delegates. The Virginia General Assembly would then negotiate a final version of the bill, which would be sent to the governor's desk to be signed into law.

The proposed legislation would also allow the franchise to keep 2 percent of sales tax revenue on items sold in the stadium.

However, a bill proposed by federal lawmakers would end the tax-exempt status of bonds used to fund sports stadiums. U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Virginia), who chairs the House Joint Economic Committee, opposes any public funding for sports teams.

"Super-rich sports team owners like Dan Snyder do not need federal support to build their stadiums, and taxpayers should not be forced to fund them," Beyer said in a news release. "Billionaire owners who need cash can borrow from the market like any other business. Arguments that stadiums boost job creation have been repeatedly discredited."

Read more: Washington Football Would Lose Tax Break Under House Bill

Politicians in D.C. and Maryland are also interested in hosting a stadium for the Washington Commanders. After the franchise finalized its name change this month, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser urged the franchise to return to the city.

"Every major sports franchise in the region calls D.C. home," Bowser said in a news release. "The next chapter for the Washington Commanders should be a return to winning, right here in D.C."

Some Maryland lawmakers have said they are not interested in financing a stadium, but they would invest in the surrounding area.

"We aren't building anyone a stadium," Del. Jazz Lewis (D-Prince George's) told The Washington Post. "But we can build in and around the neighborhood."

Read more: Maryland, Virginia Leaders Compete To Be Commanders' Home Turf

Maryland's proposal to keep the team in the state would require the Commanders to borrow a sizable lump of money to publicly finance development around the FedEx Field site, according to the Washington Post. The Maryland Stadium Authority would be responsible for selling the hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds needed to finance the state portion of the deal.

The incentive package would include perks from Prince George's County government but does not include the construction of a stadium.

The Washington Commanders have played their games at FedEx Field in Prince George's County since 1997. Before that, the franchise played its games at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in D.C.