The search for a MLB stadium site in Northern VA is on the
"edge of collapse" following the "sudden" exit of Stafford County
from the location selection process. According to the WASHINGTON
POST, Stafford's withdrawal was precipitated by a perceived
slight from the VA Baseball Stadium Authority, and it leaves only
Arlington County in the running for the 45,000-seat stadium --
with the site submission deadline set for today. However, due to
numerous unanswered questions about its location (just north of
National Airport), Arlington officials are uncertain if a
$150,000 submission fee will be provided as promised by an
anonymous donor. Stadium Authority Chair George Barton said it
is "unclear" what will be done if only Arlington submits a
proposal. Previously, Barton had said the search would be
restarted if only one community offered a site. Fairfax and
Loudoun Counties, which initiated the effort to land a MLB club
two years ago, backed out of the selection process after protests
from residents and concern over the cost of the project (Eric
Lipton, WASHINGTON POST, 6/15).
SURVEY SAYS: A poll of 600 Northern VA residents conducted
by McLean, VA-based DCM Research and released by the Fairfax
County Chamber of Commerce indicates that 71% surveyed favor
"having a major league team" in the region. However, the wording
of the question noted the team would be purchased with $150M in
private money and did not reveal that ownership group wants $200M
in public money put toward building a stadium. In a separate
question, six out of 10 polled said they oppose a sales tax
increase in order to finance a ballpark (Eric Lipton, WASHINGTON
POST, 6/15).
