HENRICO, Va. (WRIC) — As Maryland, DC and Virginia compete to convince the Washington Commanders football team to choose them as their long-term home, one Henrico man is asking – why not here?
In a presentation to the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday night, John Owens made his pitch – complete with schematics for a proposed stadium site near the Richmond Raceway.
“Can We Think Bigger?”
Owens’ proposal – which received no formal response from the board – comes as the General Assembly contemplates hefty tax incentives to lure the NFL team from their current home in Maryland.
But Maryland isn’t letting the team go without a fight, passing their own $400 million redevelopment plan aimed at revitalizing the area around the team’s current stadium.
In comes John Owens. Owens called on the board to hold a bond referendum this November to authorize $250 million to build an entirely new stadium for the team, near the current site of the Richmond Raceway.
“We could have a little city grow at that site,” Owens said.
His proposal also included a “Commanders car” to transport fans by rail from DC to Henrico on game days.
For reference, Owens’ proposed bond funding would be about half of the total proposed this year to completely revamp the county’s schools.
He pointed to similar incentives provided by one New York county seeking to add incentives to those already provided by the state.
As is customary during the public comment period, the board made no response to Owens.
