Late this evening the District filed for eminent domain on the last parcel of land required for the D.C. United stadium at Buzzard Point adhering to the September 30, 11:59pm deadline. From the statement released by the team and the City:
"The District of Columbia and D.C. United are moving forward on a soccer stadium that will transform a neighborhood on the banks of the Anacostia and generate hundreds of new jobs for District residents. We have created the best deal for the District, its residents, D.C. United and its fans."
That eminent domain would actually happen was, well, inevitable. Bowser said on the Kojo Nnamdi Show almost two weeks ago that it would be likely, and today's Washington Business Journal mentioned just how far apart the two sides were.
So now the next steps are for the District to prepare the land so that the team can build on it. The District has more than $100 million in the 2016 budget designated for infrastructure at Buzzard Point, and the District has until 2016 to prepare the land for transmittal to the team by September 2016.
The team has been quietly getting matters on order on their end; a city official said that the team previously submitted utility requirements at a conceptual design by the September 1 deadline, and the team is in the process of finalizing agreements with construction groups.
In the meantime, it's a celebration, bitches.