D.C. United can see the finish line in their quest to finalize a soccer stadium deal, but there is still one last hurdle to overcome.
In an interview conducted on Sunday, D.C. United's managing general partner Jason Levien confirmed recent reports that the club is in discussions to resolve a dispute with a local developer requesting changes to the proposed stadium design. Meanwhile, United are preparing for a D.C. Zoning Commission hearing on Nov. 2, with final commission approval allowing for construction to begin on the team's new home at Buzzard Point.
"There has been some dispute, some issue with one of the landholders primarily to the south of us, one of the developers, Akridge, and we've been in discussions with them," said Levien ahead of D.C. United's 3-1 win over New York City FC. "They've been asking us to make changes, nothing to do with the stadium, all to do with the land next to the stadium. They want to make sure there is access from our land next to the stadium to the south to their land."
Levien added that D.C. United remain in daily conversations with Akridge, but that the club still needs to figure out whether it can hash out a deal that makes sense for both parties. Regardless, Levien said that D.C. United will be moving forward with the scheduled Zoning Commission hearing.
"The city is behind us," Levien said. "I sat with the mayor a few weeks ago, 1-on-1. She is very supportive of the exact presentation we're going to make to the Zoning Commission. The majority of the stakeholders, they are wildly on board with this, and most importantly the neighborhood is on board, because this is going to bring jobs, it's going to bring economic development, it's going to bring world-class soccer in a world-class stadium to the District of Columbia in a neighborhood that really needs that revitalization, needs that investment.
"A lot of these landholders [at Buzzard Point], they've been holding this land for 10-15 years and nothing has happened. We're ready to go, shovel in the ground [on] January 1, make this thing a reality, get our fans and the community behind it, and I think it's going to be a great thing for the entire city."
In the interview Levien also discussed the club's on-field performance, singling out the work of the squad, general manager Dave Kasper and head coach Ben Olsen in qualifying the team for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
