A panel of top local elected officials at a Northern Virginia summit last week concluded that if the Redskins were to build a stadium in the state, one of the "most likely sites" would be in Loudoun County near the Dulles Airport runway, according to Robert McCartney of the WASHINGTON POST. If Virginia beats out DC and Maryland to get the new stadium, Loudoun "appears to be the only county that has enough undeveloped space near a Metro station to accommodate it." But a plan to locate the stadium in Loudoun "would face local opposition, especially because of worries it would add to congestion." Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe's point man on the issue, Secretary of Commerce & Trade Maurice Jones, "acknowledged Loudoun’s advantages as the county that already hosts the team’s headquarters and practice facility." Jones said, “It clearly makes sense as a place for the Redskins stadium to be. There’s already a strong relationship between the Loudoun community and the Redskins ... but it’s not Virginia’s only alternative." McCartney noted a potential location in Loudoun that is "drawing considerable interest is the area around the future Loudoun Gateway Metro station by Route 606 on the airport’s northern outskirts." A stadium, "combined with related entertainment and hospitality facilities, could work there" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/5).
