Arlington, VA, County officials say the Virginia Baseball
Stadium Authority is trying to keep them out of the competition
to build an MLB stadium in Northern Virginia, according to the
WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL. The Stadium Authority is made up of
four Fairfax County officials and three Loudoun County officials
and the Authority last week approved a measure to assess local
counties competing to build a stadium a $150,000 per site
application. Fairfax and Loudoun counties will not be subject to
the fee, but will be credited with up to $300,000 as compensation
for past stadium-related ventures. An request-for-proposal for
the stadium project will be released to counties March 13 and
must be completed by mid-May, another point of contention with
Arlington County officials. Authority officials say the time
constraints are necessary to "bolster" the area's chances of
attracting a team. On the fees, Authority Chair George Barton
said, "Fairfax and Loudoun have paid their dues. If Stafford and
Arlington want to play, they have to pay their fair share." He
added, if they are "serious, they'll step up" (John Lombardo,
WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/8-14 issue)...A group of about 30
homeowners near Dulles Int'l Airport in Fairfax County have
formed an anti-stadium group and protested this weekend near a
proposed site (WASHINGTON TIMES, 3/10).
