On December 18th, 2023, Executive Director Yesim Sayin was cited by the Washington City Paper:
The economic impact of the teams’ departure is huge. But, even if the deal is approved, they will continue playing at Capital One Arena at least through 2027. “This gives the city time enough to reimagine and reengineer Downtown,” writes Yesim Sayin, head of the D.C. Policy Center. “But it will require the hard work of coordinated action and disciplined prioritization.”
Sayin explains how the stadium sparked “transformational changes” in Chinatown and the surrounding area. “In 1999, for example, there were 69 restaurants within half a mile of the Arena,” she writes in a post about the impact of the deal. “Since then, 139 more opened (some replacing existing ones). Unfortunately, today only 98 restaurants remain. Should the Arena significantly reduce the number of events held there, many of these could also close or move elsewhere, resulting in the potential loss of up to 2,250 jobs and $76 million in annual sales.”
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