FREDERICKSBURG — City leaders in Fredericksburg on Tuesday signed a letter of intent to move the Potomac Nationals from Woodbridge to Fredericksburg.
This comes after the announcement from the city and Potomac Nationals Owner, Art Silber agreed to a 30-year lease to move the team to Fredericksburg.
“This will be a privately financed stadium which is fairly rare,” said Fredericksburg Economic Development and Tourism Director Bill Freehling. “It would receive significant support from the City of Fredericksburg, $1.05 million for 30 years. However we do believe the stadium itself will regenerate the revenue.”
Freehling spoke highly of the stadium which will be a multi-purpose stadium. The team has said it wants to open the new facility in time for the 2020 season.
“The use of the stadium will be extremely important for 30 years,” Freehling said. “High School games, University of Mary Washington games, concerts, park and recreation activities, and an array of events that will bring in visitors to the City,” he added.
The next steps include a 120-day study period, public input, legislative approvals, stadium design, planning and financing, definitive agreements between Fredericksburg and Potomac Baseball, LLC, and finally construction.
The new stadium will be built on undeveloped land along Celebrate Virginia South near Wegmans and the Fredericksburg Expo Center.
“They [Washington Nationals] had to give us their permission to explore (Northern Virginia) … We have a strong feeling that the connection will stay,” Potomac Nationals Owner Art Silber said.
Silber failed to reach an agreement with officials in Prince William County last year to build a similar stadium behind a Wegmans grocery store at Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center.
The team announced its new partnership with Mary Washington Healthcare on July 9. The agreement represents the first partnership agreement for the new stadium project. The partnership will be further detailed as development plans for the stadium are refined in the coming months, Mary Washington Healthcare will enjoy numerous key benefits like opportunities for its Associates to attend games and use stadium facilities.
The P-Nats are engaged in discussions with other businesses in the region to partner with them on naming rights for the stadium, naming rights for its planned 300-seat club facility inside the stadium, and additional “founding partnerships.”
The team is also pursuing agreements for the 13 suites that are planned for the ballpark.
