Lucas: Alexandria arena deal is dead as far as she’s concerned

A bill that would establish a state authority for the proposed Alexandria basketball and hockey arena is not on the Virginia State Senate’s Finance and Appropriations Committee’s docket “because [Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s] proposal is not ready for prime time,” wrote Sen. Louise Lucas, the committee’s powerful chair.

According to a video released by Senate Majority Leader Scott A. Surovell on Monday, Lucas, D-Portsmouth, said in a media interview that “as far as [she’s] concerned,” the deal — proposed by Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO Ted Leonsis and championed by the governor — is dead.

She added that it was a mistake not to involve the Democratic legislative leadership — particularly Surovell and House Speaker Don Scott — in discussions about the proposed arena before it was announced as close to a done deal in December 2023.

Lucas doesn’t have the final word on the measure, but her disapproval puts the arena’s backers at a significant disadvantage.

Her tweet and statement came after Youngkin lashed out at Democrats in a speech over the weekend at Washington and Lee University. Despite sounding a note of compromise and concession after Democrats regained control of the General Assembly in the 2023 legislative elections, Youngkin told students Saturday that the Democratic Party does “not believe in — nor do they want — a strong America.”

Virginia Democrats were irritated by Youngkin’s statements, which took place during W&L’s 28th annual Mock Convention, an event at which Donald Trump Jr. also appeared. Youngkin’s comments added on to earlier concerns voiced in December by Lucas and others, who are concerned that the state would be left with massive debt from the proposed arena, as well as major traffic and infrastructure challenges.

In a Dec. 19, 2023, tweet, Lucas said the deal did not have her support. “Anyone who thinks I am going to approve an arena in Northern Virginia using state tax dollars before we deliver on toll relief and for public schools in Hampton Roads must think I have dumbass written on my forehead.”

SB 718, which was sponsored by Surovell on Youngkin’s behalf, would establish the Virginia Sports and Entertainment Authority and Financing Fund, which would own the land and buildings on the proposed $2 billion sports and entertainment campus in Alexandria, centered around a new arena for the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards.

“The governor is confident at the end of the day that the General Assembly will come together because this project is good for the entire commonwealth,” Youngkin’s communications director, Rob Damschen, said in a statement Monday. “It creates 30,000 jobs and unlocks billions in new revenue that can be used to fund expanded toll relief in Portsmouth, increased funding for I-81, and new money for education for rural and urban school divisions across the commonwealth.”

Monica Dixon, president of external affairs and chief administrative officer for Monumental, also said Monday, “We are encouraged by the momentum from Friday when the House bill passed with a 17-3 margin. We have had healthy discussions with members across the General Assembly and [city council] in Alexandria, and we are eager to work with the lawmakers in Richmond to provide all information they might need to feel comfortable about this deal. This project will deliver tremendous benefits for the City of Alexandria and the entire commonwealth of Virginia, including tens of thousands of new jobs and billions in revenue and economic impact.”

In December 2023, Youngkin and team owner Ted Leonsis unveiled plans that had been under private discussion among state and city officials. While some business and political leaders voiced excitement and praise for the project, which would move the NHL and NBA pro teams from Washington, D.C., to Alexandria, some state Democrats — notably Lucas — and many Alexandria residents expressed everything from worries and doubts to outright opposition, particularly regarding how it would add to area transportation demands and whether Virginia could be left paying the bill for the pricy arena.

On Jan. 19, Surovell’s bill was referred to the Senate Finance Committee, but as Lucas said Saturday, it has not been placed on the docket for a vote. The House version of the bill, however, is still in action, and if it survives a floor vote in the House, that bill will come up for a vote in the Senate.

Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor and director of the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, said Monday that he thinks “greater deference and a sweeter deal are necessary to make this package happen. At some point, if Youngkin wants this deal, he will have to bend on important Democratic priorities, including more funding for education.”

Indeed, Surovell said Monday that the governor has not been willing to work with Democrats on most of their priorities, including retail sales of cannabis and raising the minimum wage. The possibility of giving Metro more state funding is the exception, he noted.

Given Youngkin’s speech over the weekend, Farnsworth said, “it is not clear that the governor is willing to do what it takes to get a deal through the Democratic majority legislature. A governor cannot operate like a CEO when there is divided partisan control in Richmond.”

In addition to the lack of discussion about Democrats’ legislative priorities, the governor’s speech “gave a lot of people concern whether he’s interested in working with us or not,” Surovell noted. Lucas said she views this situation as showing Youngkin’s “lack of respect.”

David Ramadan, a former Republican delegate and now a professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, retweeted Youngkin’s tweet Sunday that shows the governor saying that Democrats “are content to concede, to compromise away, to abandon the very foundations that made America exceptional.” In response, Ramadan, who is working for the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce in lobbying for the arena, wrote, “This is a perfect example of what NOT to do in the middle of a legislative session — period.”