Potomac Nationals Stadium Coming to Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center

Officials announced Tuesday morning that a new Potomac Nationals stadium would be built at Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center in Woodbridge on Opitz Boulevard across from the hospital. 

The 6,000 to 7,000 seat stadium will be privately funded, Woodbridge district supervisor Frank Principi said. When completed, the stadium will bring in more than $200 million in private sector investment, said a press release from the county. 

The first pitch at the new stadium could be thrown in Spring 2014, he said.

"This location here in Potomac Town Center truly makes this a preferred location," Principi said.

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Virginia Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton said the Commonwealth of Virginia has already voted to put forward $15 million for a structured parking lot of 1,000 spaces. 

"An important amenity in the project would be a new commuter garage built using state transportation funds, lands dedidcated to public use and constructed by the Prince William County Transportation Department," said the release from the county. "The garage would offer commuter parking to Prince William residents who use the transit serving the garage or carpool using HOV or Express Lanes." 

The stadium will offer year-round events to residents and tourists, said the press release from the county. 

"Not only will this be one of the nicest stadiums in the country," said Potomac VP/General Manager Josh Olerud, "this is a community facility that will increase the lifestyle of all residents in Prince William County."

Art Silber, owner of the Potomac Nationals, and Chairman Corey Stewart both said that the stadium project would not be happening if it were not for the VDOT-funded garage.

Silber announced his intent to invest over $25 million for the construction of a new stadium. 

But "this is not a done deal," Principi added, saying he was planning a series of town halls on the project in the future. 

"There are still a significant amount of engineering studies, environmental studies, that will have to be done, not the least of which is getting financing for the stadium and/or naming rights," said Principi to Patch. "And that doesn't happen overnight. So we're going to need some time to work through those issues and to make sure the public gets their fingerprints on this as it goes forward."

"While those studies are being developed the public will get to ask their questions and provide their comments and in the process make it an even better project for the community," said Principi.

Principi told Patch that in the next three to six months there will probably be a memorandum of understanding signed between the parties.

"I'm not sure the county would sign that, it would be between the developers and the baseball team," said Principi. "We've got to get a move on." 

"Welcome to the new Woodbridge," Principi said. 

"This is a project where you have total cooperation between government entities and a wonderful developer," Silber said. "We want to make this the social, athletic and entertainment center and we're going to do that in a fiscally responsible way." 

Stewart said the board been working on this new stadium location since he was first elected as a supervisor in 2003.

Silber said the team

"We are at the beginning steps of our discussion with the community," said Richard Lake from PTC Roadside Development LLC, the management company. "This is a project of the community, for the community, by the community." 

The county announced a press conference on Monday for the news. The press conference was held at Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center outside of and , where

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