Loudoun County is striking back in a bid to keep the Redskins in Ashburn after officials in the District and Prince George's County have said they want to steal the teams headquarters facility away.
The carrot being dangled before team owner Dan Snyder after months of silence is in the form of a potential Redskins Hall of Fame, an idea that was floated in Loudoun in 2008 but narrowly rejected by that board of supervisors. Now, Broad Run District Supervisor Shawn Williams is reaching out to Snyder and dropping hints that a hall of fame facility could be in the team's future -- if, of course, it stays in Loudoun County.
| What does Snyder want? | ||
| One Buccaneer Place | Redskins Park | |
| • 145,000 square-foot facility on 33 acres | • 70,000-square-foot facility on 162-acre former dairy farm | |
| • Three, full-length grass fields | • Four football fields | |
| • 10,000 square-foot weight room | • Strength training and sports medicine facilities | |
| • 70 types of workout machines | • Offices and meeting rooms for players, coaches and front office staff | |
| • Fully-equipped kitchen and dining room | • Accommodations for media | |
| • 7,000 square-foot locker room | ||
| • Hydrotherapy room | ||
| • Theater-style auditorium | ||
| • Press conference studio | ||
"As a citizen at that time, I was very concerned about the lost economic development opportunity as well as the unfriendly message that was being sent to your organization and Redskins fans alike," Williams said, in a letter published by the Leesburg Patch. "I personally cannot think of a better location for the Redskins Hall of Fame than Loudoun County. I would be very pleased to explore locating the Redskins Hall of Fame in Loudoun once again."
He added that he's "very proud" Loudoun continues to be the corporate home of the Redskins and wants Snyder to "consider this an open invitation for you or your representatives to meet with me at any time to discuss possibilities for this partnership."
Reached by phone on Monday, Redskins spokesman Tony Wyllie said he was not able to confirm if the team had responded to Williams' letter.
The letter comes two months after D.C. officials went to Tampa and toured the Buccaneers' state-of-the-art training facility. Mayor Vincent Gray and Council members Michael Brown and Jack Evans said they wanted to see what kind of facility could attract the 'Skins, which is the second-richest franchise in the NFL and worth nearly $1.6 billion.
Tampa Bay's 33-acre training facility, which opened in 2006, reportedly cost $30 million and is the largest in the National Football League. The team paid for the facility itself.
Snyder said earlier this year that he was interested in moving the team's headquarters from Ashburn, where it has been for 20 years. In June of last year, Prince George's County commissioned a study for an area near Bowie State University that officials want for a mixed-use development and sportsplex.
The $25,000 study, paid for by the county and Maryland Stadium authority, has not been finished.
