Dear Neighbor,
This week, I join District residents, fans, Mayor Bowser, all my Council colleagues, and Monumental Sports and Entertainment in celebrating keeping our Washington Wizards and Capitals here at home in DC!
The future of our Downtown and of the District is strong – a foundation built upon public-private relationships that generate resilient, vibrant multi-use corridors that benefit residents, businesses, and visitors that boost our local economy.
I continue to be committed to ensuring our businesses across Ward 2 and the District have the necessary supports to be successful. Today, I’m sharing about the great impact this new agreement will have on the District, as well as a brief update on the upcoming budget cycle.
Monumental Sports
Throughout my tenure in office, I have worked in partnership with Monumental Sports to ensure the success of the teams, the arena, and the surrounding neighborhood with investments in public safety, strategic economic development, and transit safety and sustainability.
On Wednesday, I was thrilled to join Mayor Bowser and my Council colleagues in the signing of a new $515 million agreement with Monumental Sports that keeps the Wizards and Capitals here at home in Ward 2’s Capital One Arena through 2050 with opportunities for expansion.
To better understand the significance of this major development, a little context: Monumental Sports is the leaseholder at the iconic Capital One Arena in Ward 2’s downtown and owns our Washington Wizards and Capitals sports teams. Monumental Sports announced in December 2023 that a potential deal would be brokered with Virginia to move the teams and create a new arena.
Since taking office, I have been devoted to strengthening downtown through economic development, public safety, and reimagining DC’s core as a a vibrant mixed-use corridor. Through these continued efforts, I have worked closely with management and ownership of Monumental Sports.
That’s why I have worked to keep Monumental Sports and the teams here in the District, including helping to garner my colleagues' unanimous support for an offer to Monumental Sports to renovate the Arena – a sure-bet offer that, as a united legislative body, the Council knew it could and would move expeditiously through the necessary legislative and budgetary processes. I continued conversations and meetings with leaders across District government, residents and stakeholders across the region, and with Monumental Sports to advance a plan of support that culminated in the deal Mayor Bowser signed with Monumental Sports with benefits for District residents, sports fans, workers, and businesses.
The signing of the agreement on Wednesday signified DC’s commitment to revitalizing and supporting Capital One Arena and our Downtown, as well as to our continued steadfast partnership with Monumental Sports. The agreement will breathe energy and opportunity into our downtown through renovations to the Arena, additional opportunities for entertainment spaces and festivals, and commitments to security and safety supports in the neighborhood.
In addition to the agreement and alongside Mayor Bowser and Chairman Mendelson, I have remained steadfast in my focus on the stabilization of our Downtown as a member of the Gallery Place/Chinatown Task Force and on the critical need for improved safety across DC by successfully passing my Secure DC public safety omnibus, which provides increased safety supports for our commercial corridors, including our Downtown, and expands the tools at our disposal to address emergent crime trends.
Together, all of these developments make clear that District Government unifies together to act for the benefit of our communities and the future of our beloved city. Indeed, our future as the sports capital is bright – with our Wizards and Caps teams here to stay.
DC’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2025
On Wednesday, April 3rd, the Council will receive the Mayor’s proposed budget. This includes the operating budget for Fiscal Year 2025 (October 2024 through September 2025) which pays for operational costs that include public safety and justice, public education, economic development and human support services. The Mayor’s budget also includes the capital budget for Fiscal Years 2025 through 2029, which pays for brick and mortar and physical infrastructure, including for roads, school buildings, and public safety and government buildings.
As Chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, I will be holding hearings on the budgets of District agencies that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee over the next several weeks. This will culminate in creating a committee report that makes adjustments to these agency budgets. The hearings will be held according to the below schedule, and you can find more information on how to sign-up to testify at these hearings here:
I hope to hear from many of you, as your input is critical to the budget process.
Finally – this week, as many residents across the District observe Holy Week, I want to wish everyone celebrating Easter on Sunday, a very joyous and happy Easter.
Yours in Service,
Brooke
