Redskins’ Summer Training Camp Steering Committee Generates Short List of Sites for Consideration
The Washington Redskins’ Summer Training Camp Steering Committee (Steering Committee), which was established by Mayor Dwight C. Jones last month, held its second full committee meeting today with marked progress concerning recommendations for the location of the Summer Training Camp in Richmond in 2013.
The Steering Committee Chair, Mike Fraizer, convened the full group today following several meetings of the Site Selection Subcommittee that have been held over the past few weeks. The Site Selection Subcommittee reported its recommendations to the full committee, including the sites that have risen to the top of the list.
“We’ve engaged in intensive site review work over the past several weeks and we’ve visited with Redskins’ representatives at their headquarters in Ashburn,” said Mike Fraizer. “We are all on the same page about the criteria that must be met with the selected site, and that information has helped to narrow our list to four locations. We are now performing detailed assessment work on each of these sites and anticipate completing this work by mid-August.”
When the Steering Committee began its work in late June, over ten sites were under consideration. Site evaluation criteria established included five key considerations: 1) football operations needs, 2) fan experience, 3) development considerations, 4) economic development benefits, and 5) alternative uses during the remainder of the year. The site selected must have the capacity to house two playing fields, a field house, support facilities and parking. Also, development considerations include criteria related to what site improvements may be needed, related costs, impact on neighborhoods and adjacent properties, and issues related to vehicle and pedestrian access as well as the project execution timeframe.
“The summary findings have helped to identify the most compelling sites, and we can now drill down in our review of the options,” said Mayor Jones. “Not all of the sites are owned by the city, so we won’t disclose the specific locations under consideration at this time. We do not want to compromise any negotiations that may be needed. Suffice it to say that I’m pleased with the work of the Steering Committee and believe the analysis has yielded the right results at this juncture for further consideration.”
Over the coming weeks, the Steering Committee intends to complete the remaining site tasks, after which time the specific locations under final consideration will be recommended to the Mayor. It is anticipated that the Redskins’ representatives will visit the short list of sites in mid-August. The Steering Committee plans to present all findings by the end of August.