All-American Roy Hibbert?

That Verizon Center article is three years old.

by Alex B. on Mar 1, 2011 3:36 pm • link • report

The 2nd link isn't. We debated whether to include both or just the more recent one, but the older one has more facts that people might not have known.

by David Alpert on Mar 1, 2011 3:40 pm • link • report

Re: Driver mows down Critical Mass riders - did the people who were hit receive a court summons for interfering with traffic?

by Max D. on Mar 1, 2011 4:38 pm • link • report

SmarTrip is more than 7 years old. I've had mine for 9 years :)

by Dave Stroup on Mar 1, 2011 5:19 pm • link • report

If cyclists were attacking him then the solution was to run into people who had nothing to do with it?

The streetsblog graph is great.

by canaan on Mar 1, 2011 5:37 pm • link • report

Why is FL HSR prioritzing Tampa to Disney instead of the Jacksonville to Miami I-95 corrdiro with its far greater populations?

by Douglas Willinger on Mar 1, 2011 6:14 pm • link • report

TBD also has an article on the Verizon Center claims:

http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-facts-machine/2011/01/are-the-wizards-and-capitals-keeping-d-c-in-the-black--7099.html

At the time it was certainly considered scandalous the perks that Marion Barry gave Abe Polin to build there, including no compensation for police service as most cities get and tax abatements. Not everyone agrees that old downtown wouldn't have kept rebuilding without the Verizon Center or that Polin would have gone to the suburbs without the enticements he got. Arenas are usually in downtowns.

Personally I like the variety of chain fast-food spots it brought to Gallery Place making it a mini-Times Square. But that's no rival to Chinatown which is a real culinary gem and always has been.

by Tom Coumaris on Mar 1, 2011 6:21 pm • link • report

WaPo also had a good story on Verizon Center back when the ticket tax was increased to 10% with the funds to be used solely to make $50million of improvements. Polin promised to give the city a 24-seat luxury suite with many amenities and a clear view of the floor. Barry and Evans were the main supporters while Wells and Cheh were the main opponents.

It also mentions that when first built the arena was given property tax exemption and $70 million to purchase the land.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902588.html

Of course compared to the $664 the city sunk into Nats Stadium the Verizon Center was a bargain.

by Tom Coumaris on Mar 1, 2011 7:10 pm • link • report

$13,000 per space simply for construction.

Well lets break that down. $13,000/25 year life span =$520/year, and that is being conservative; the structure can last much longer. A decent deal when you compare to leasing.

by RJ on Mar 1, 2011 7:15 pm • link • report

Dave Stroup.

I can beat that mine is 11 years old. Smart Trip started in 1998.

by RJ on Mar 1, 2011 7:20 pm • link • report

@Douglas Willinger:
The Masons have beachfront property in South Florida. Hence, no HSR there.

by Matt Johnson on Mar 1, 2011 7:49 pm • link • report

Just 7 years old? I am pretty sure I had a smart trip card in 2003, and maybe even before.

by Jazzy on Mar 1, 2011 7:49 pm • link • report

@ RJ:$520/year, and that is being conservative

Convervative, sure. But only if conservative means excluding maintenance such as repaving, fixing potholes and cracks, repainting lines and snow removal. Sounds like Tea-Party conservatism to me.

There is no single piece of asphalt that stays without maintenance for 25 years. Next time when you drive on the I-495N ramp in the mixing bowl, coming from I-95N, look to your right. You'll see some old lanes that are not used anymore. Within a few years, weeds are coming through, and the asphalt is starting to crumble. And that's without cars driving over it.

by Jasper on Mar 1, 2011 8:13 pm • link • report

DC's arena might have gone to the suburbs

So what? What's wrong with turning some crappy area in the suburbs around? It's not like Pentagon and Crystal City were heavens of safety 20-30 years ago. DC-centric view.

by Jasper on Mar 1, 2011 8:15 pm • link • report

It was in the suburbs at the time. US Air Arena in Landover, Maryland across the beltway a bit from where FedEx Field is now. Hockey and Hoops weren't doing that grand out there and even if a suburb had offered the sweetheart deal Barry and Evans did Polin wouldn't have done as much business.

$70 million plus property tax exemption plus receipt of sales taxes on tickets was a lot for most jurisdictions to offer. Back then.

And the back page story is who owned the properties the city paid $70 million for. It was a must-do deal.

by Tom Coumaris on Mar 1, 2011 8:37 pm • link • report

Jasper: Crystal City isn't the suburbs. It would be in the central city except for an accident of history. "The suburbs" doesn't necessarily mean "everything that's not in the District." Maybe "outside the Beltway" is a better approximation.

by David Alpert on Mar 1, 2011 8:42 pm • link • report

"7 years after SmarTrip cards were introduced, the city's most Metro-accessible university will start selling them in its bookstore."

When you include all land from the Universities Howard would be more metro accesible than all the others. Its main campus is near the Shaw and U Street stations and its Law School is near Van Ness.

Next would be UDC its main campus has the stations elevator is directly in front the two main buildings and the escalators are closer to the majority of the campus than Foggy Bottom station is to GW.

UDC has its Muirkirk Research Farm in Beltsville and GW has its Mt Vernon Campus off of Foxhall Rd and Science & Technology Campus pass Dulles Airport

by kk on Mar 1, 2011 9:22 pm • link • report

@Jasper; I'm sure the lease doesn't cover such joys as snow removal. Maintenance, well, maybe. It is a church, and I don't see them doing much.

Of course, if they would build a proper parking building the of the water damage issues would disappear. And since it is cars, not trucks, and potentially concrete and not asphalt it might change those numbers.

Overall, a wise move by VDOT.

by charlie on Mar 1, 2011 9:50 pm • link • report

@Jasper: you assume the church lease cost remains the same for the next 25 years. So you have a $200 plus savings at todays costs, plus assuming that maintenance and church lease rates follow inflation, it's still a win.

by m on Mar 1, 2011 10:11 pm • link • report

scaling it up, it's like renting a house for 650 bucks a month, or building one for 130K, which seems about right.

by Kolohe on Mar 2, 2011 6:28 am • link • report

How do we have money for protection against imaginary threats (bag checks) but not enough money for security against real threats (mob attack) sigh.

by Mike D on Mar 2, 2011 7:47 am • link • report

@Douglas Willinger:

1. Florida already owns the ROW between Orlando and Tampa free and clear. No NIMBY's, no ROW takings, no (ROW) lawsuits.

Reasons 2 and 3 pale compared to reason 1; no other HSR corridor in the country can really offer that with as much certainty.

Jacksonville-Miami isn't really in the running anyway- phase two is Orlando-Miami, possibly even via the FL turnpike (so possibly only very little in the 95 corridor at all). I hope that's not the case (I hope it would be via Cape Canaveral and the coast), but it's too far out to be very certain.

by Steven on Mar 2, 2011 11:15 am • link • report

>>"And the back page story is who owned the properties the city paid $70 million for. It was a must-do deal."

@Tom C - who owned the properties?

by Paul on Mar 2, 2011 11:37 am • link • report

"He says it took police too long to arrive."

Remember folks, the cops are there to arrest your assailant/murderer, not to protect you.

by Andrew in DC on Mar 2, 2011 12:56 pm • link • report