Former Washington Football Facility to Become Parks & Recreation Headquarters

Since the Washington Commanders don't use it, the city of Richmond is turning a former football facility into the home of its Parks & Recreation department.

Jul 25, 2019; Richmond, VA, USA; Washington Redskins players huddle during practice on day one of training camp at Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

There's a 15-acre patch of land the Washington Commanders apparently have no use for in Richmond, Virginia that hasn't seen NFL football since the Football Team was still awaiting their new nickname and logo.

Since the Commanders aren't going to use it, the city of Richmond intends to take over control of it and repurpose the land as the home of its Department of Parks & Recreation. That is according to Eric Kolenich of the Richmond Times Dispatch.

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"The eight-year deal, often criticized because of its cost to the city, was not renewed after it expired. In 2018, the city refinanced the $10 million loan it used to build the complex, requiring Richmond to pay about $700,000 annually until 2033," Kolenich's report says.

"Last year, Mayor Levar Stoney said he wanted to turn the facility into a green space for city residents."

Jul 25, 2019; Richmond, VA, USA; Washington Redskins players huddle during practice on day one of training camp at Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

"The eight-year deal, often criticized because of its cost to the city, was not renewed after it expired."

- Eric Kolenich, Richmond Times Dispatch

The facility holds two football fields and a two-story building that the city constructed to host Washington training camps from 2013 to 2019 and then again for a small portion of camp in 2021.

"The property’s new use accomplishes several goals spelled out in the Richmond 300 plan, such as increasing public access to green spaces and parks, said Lincoln Saunders, the city’s chief administrative officer," the report also stated.

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