Washington Commanders Looking to the Periphery for a New Place to Play

The Washington Commanders, a team in the National Football League formerly known as the Washington Football Team, are planning a move to Woodbridge in Prince William County, Virginia, more than 20 miles south of their current stadium’s location.

Luz Lazo and Laura Vozzella report for the Washington Post on the potential congestion created by the move to a location with little to no public transit.

“The news that the Commanders recently acquired the right to purchase land in Woodbridge as a possible site for a new stadium prompted concern among fans, residents and local officials, who worry about traffic that would exacerbate gridlock along the Interstate 95 corridor, which carries about 232,000 vehicles daily,” according to the article.

The Commanders are actively searching for a new home away from FedEx Field in Landover, another non-transit accessible location that avoids some of the potential complications of the Woodbridge location by being located inside the Beltway in a relatively dense corner of the region.

“The Commanders’ agreement for the option to buy about 200 acres for about $100 million signals the franchise is serious about Woodbridge. The team has narrowed its stadium search to also include four other locations: near Potomac Shores Golf Club in Dumfries, a site near Dulles International Airport in Sterling, RFK Stadium in Washington and a site near FedEx Field,” report Lazo and Vozzella.

Michael Phillips provides coverage of the potential stadium location near Dulles International Airport—in Loudon County, Virginia—for the Richmond Times-Dipatch. A stadium built at that location would be built at the current location of a rock quarry and adjacent to transit service on Metro’s Silver Line.  

“It’s a site that has been at the center of development talks for years, as the county has urbanized, and a mixed-use development referred to as ‘Waterside’ has long been rumored for the space — with the filled-in quarry providing the lake that would be the centerpiece of the development,” according to Phillips.