We interviewed candidates for DC mayor and competitive council races for the April 1 primary, and recorded the conversations on video. Here are the discussions about a potential football stadium with candidates for all of the races we covered. See all of the interviews here.

Would swapping land at 14th and U for a soccer stadium at Buzzard Point be a good deal for DC? Some candidates in the April 1 Democratic primary don’t think so, while others want to ensure that a change benefits the affected neighborhoods of Buzzard Point and U Street.

The Gray administration is negotiating to transfer the Reeves Center municipal office building at 14th and U to developer Akridge, in exchange for Akridge’s land in Buzzard Point. This would be one element of a multi-faceted deal to assemble land for a DC United soccer stadium.

The full details of the deal aren’t public or may not even be worked out yet, but candidates reacted to what we do know so far. Many think the land swap plan is too complicated.

Ward 1 councilmember Jim Graham said, “The numbers that I have seen suggest that we’re paying high for a scrappy piece of property in an undesirable area, and underpaying for a government asset in a highly desirable area. Hold an auction for the Reeves building. People tell me you would be amazed how much money would be bid for the property.”

Jack Evans, the Ward 2 member who’s running for mayor, said, “I wouldn’t do it that way. If you start with the premis that building a soccer stadium at that site is a good idea, and I do, the mayor’s proposal is too complicated. It’s hard to understand, hard to evaluate. People become very distrustful. If I would do it using the Reeves Center — and I’m not saying I would do that — I would just sell the Reeves Center and use the market price to buy the land, rather than trying to do it a way that looks suspicious.”

John Settles, running against Anita Bonds for council at large, feels similarly. “I love DC United. I’m a soccer fan and a soccer coach. I don’t think swapping the Reeves Center is a good strategy. I’d rather see the city just buy the 2 acres of land.” He said that a new project to replace Reeves could represent an opportunity for affordable housing for families, coworking and incubator space for technology companies, and the arts.

Pedro Rubio, also running for the at-large seat, also said he supports the stadium at Buzzard Point, especially since many Latino residents and young people follow the team, but said, “I don’t like the land swap.” He worries about losing city services at the Reeves Center like the LGBT community center and Office of Latino Affairs.

Muriel Bowser, Ward 4 councilmember and candidate for mayor, doesn’t think the city would be getting a good deal on the land swap, and isn’t very supportive of using public resources. for a stadium at all. She said, “If the mayor can make a case for using $150 million of city resources, we have to be assured we’re getting what we deserve for the Reeves center, and what I’ve heard preliminarily makes me nervous.”

On the question of whether a $150 million deal makes sense overall, she said, “We have a billionaire owner …. Some people would ask the question, why do we have to give them $150 million? We have a lot of priorities for DC.” Though, she noted, “I think that this team has been a good neighbor in the District, and there are a lot of District residents who support the team.”

Ward 1 candidates want office space at Reeves

Other candidates, especially candidates for individual ward seats, focused on the impacts to individual communities and the best ways to use the land. Both the Reeves Center and the Buzzard Point are in Wards (1 and 6, respectively) with competitive council races.

Both Graham and his Ward 1 challenger, Brianne Nadeau, want to make sure there is office space at 14th and U in any building that would replace Reeves. Graham said, “We’ve got plenty of luxury condos and rentals. What we don’t have is enough daytime commerce. If we lose the Reeves Ctr and those government agencies, that will be very upsetting.”

Nadeau said she wants: “to create some dynamic ground-level retail and community space. Even before this deal came about, I had been thinking, what could we do about the Reeves Center? Open up that atrium, create lunch space and music like you see in some cities like Norfolk. For me it’s about how do you take this an make it an opportunity.”

“The reason I want that is, if you want a commercial corridor that has balanced options, you need an anchor and foot traffic for the daytime retail. … We fought first for the hotel at 13th and U, and having lost that, we’re fighting for the commercial anchor. It’s essential we get the best use for the community and not just the best for the city.”

As for the overall merit of the deal, Nadeau said she’s amenable to city resources helping fund a soccer stadium which could create jobs, so long as “those are good jobs” with a Project Labor Agreement, and opportunities for the workers to unionize.

Ward 6 candidates think about Southwest residents’ needs

In Ward 6, Charles Allen wants to ensure that any deal comes with investments for the area, including improving the public housing in the area, and adding parkland. He said, “When the baseball stadium was built, the city build Yards Park. Yards Park brings just as many people into that neighborhood and has been just as catalytic for that neighborhood as the baseball stadium has been. Southwest needs its own version of Yards Park. I think we need to use this as am opportunity to invest in our public space, and invest in our green space, and invest in the river.”

Darrell Thompson started his statement being strongly supportive of the potential deal, though as he spoke he also brought up concerns about getting a good deal and making sure immediate neighbors have input. “It’s a good idea,” he said. “It’s a very good idea. … It first and foremost gives us an opportunity to come back to where we started, providing jobs, job training and apprenticeships for District residents.

“But we also have to make sure it’s a good deal for District residents. We have to have input, make sure their concerns are heard. There’s a tax structure to this project that’s still being worked out. We have to make sure this is a good deal for District taxpayers.”

You can watch all of the videos below.

Jim Graham:

Jack Evans:

John Settles:

Pedro Rubio:

Muriel Bowser:

Brianne Nadeau:

Charles Allen:

Darrel Thompson: