By Ovetta Wiggins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 25, 2006; B01
In the decade since Prince George's County officials approved construction of a new Washington Redskins stadium in Landover, vowing to breathe life into a troubled community, resident Freddie Dawkins has waited for the fulfillment of those promises.
And waited.
Today, the 91,665-seat stadium looms over central Prince George's on what once was a patch of rolling farmland. And Dawkins, a longtime stadium opponent, sees little difference. "From the traffic to the noise, the whole gamut," he said, "nothing good has come out of it."
Ten years after the County Council approved legislation paving the way for the stadium, over the opposition of many in the community, the long-held dream of former Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke remains a controversial one.
Although such opponents as Dawkins say the stadium hasn't revitalized the area as promised, others -- including former elected leaders and Redskins officials -- say it has improved the quality of life inside the Capital Beltway, created jobs and spurred economic development.
"The Redskins stadium ignited a different perspective of the Landover region," said former county executive Wayne K. Curry (D), who participated in often-contentious negotiations with Cooke and then-Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D) over the stadium. "It has been a spectacular success . . . a reversal of fortune for that area."
Karl Swanson, a spokesman for the Redskins, said the team has nearly 100 full-time employees working in Landover. About 3,500 people are employed on game days. "Clearly, from the standpoint of year-round business, we're not one, but we believe we're a good neighbor," he said. "We pay our taxes, and we pay them on time."
It was estimated that the stadium would generate $6 million in taxes annually -- $2 million in property taxes and nearly $4 million in admission and sales taxes, according to a 1997 report.
It is surpassing those projections.
An estimated $10 million was collected in fiscal 2006, according to county spokesman Jim Keary. He said the county tax bill was about $2 million, but the organization paid more than $8 million in admission and amusement taxes.
Swanson said some things cannot be measured, however, including the national exposure Landover receives each time the team plays at home.
County officials say it is evident that the team's presence has enhanced the image of a county that has struggled to bring in high-end commercial and residential projects. They say that investors who once snubbed Prince George's are clamoring to build in the region -- although no one knows the impact the stadium may be having on that.
M.H. Jim Estepp, a former council member and head of the Greater Prince George's Business Roundtable, said the stadium helped lead to the expansion of Metrorail and the construction of the Boulevard at the Capital Centre, a retail plaza that includes a Magic Johnson movie theater. Mixed-used projects are underway near Metro stations in the area, including one that will have a Wegmans grocery store.
"They may have eventually come, but there needed to be an impetus for it," Estepp said. "And it's clear to me that the stadium was part of that."
Bell Chapman's duplex faces the stadium and, like Dawkins, she was against the plan to transform the 300-acre farm into a massive football field.
But these days, she's happy with the addition to the neighborhood.
"You know they did the streets and sidewalks -- they did something for the neighborhood," said Chapman, 84. "Now I'm used to it."
But existing businesses that surround the stadium have had a mixed reaction.
Applebee's restaurant, which is on Route 202, a main thoroughfare near the stadium, is normally crowded with ticketholders before games. Jasper's, which is closer to the stadium and existed before it was built, does not get as much business before games because people have trouble getting in and out of the restaurant's parking lot.
"It hasn't helped or hurt our business," said Fred Rosenthal, president of Jasper's.
Anyone driving along the Beltway near Route 202 in Landover can see the red, purple and green stripes that frame the top of the National Football League's largest stadium. The fixture can be seen from miles away, casting a shadow over the new Boulevard at the Capital Centre and the old Landover Mall.
But what motorists -- and Redskins fans, for that matter -- don't see are the many boarded-up homes, run-down apartments and trash-strewed streets in some neighborhoods .
Some schools still perform poorly on state tests. Nearly 43 percent of sixth-graders at John Carroll Elementary School in Landover, for example, did not meet proficiency standards in reading on the Maryland State Assessment tests this year.
Crime also continues to be a concern. FedEx Field is in the 3rd Police District, a 30-mile territory that borders the District. Crime there has dropped considerably in the past year but is still considered a top priority for the department.
"It's the same as it was 10 years ago," said Theresa Dudley, a civic activist who opposed the stadium. "On some level, it's worse. . . . Landover Mall is closed, and the traffic is worse now."
Former County Council member Marvin Wilson said that with only 10 home games a year, traffic is not a year-round issue.
Meanwhile, the county has a multimillion-dollar community athletic center, the Sports & Learning Complex, adjoining the stadium, which provides a recreational outlet for residents throughout the year. On any given day, the center is packed with swimmers, joggers, youngsters taking gymnastics classes and others.
Cooke contributed $3 million toward the $40 million center.
"Some of those who fought [the stadium] are now over at the facility with walkers," Wilson said, referring to the large number of senior citizens who use the center.
Residents of the area receive a 25 percent discount and advance registration for programs.
But Dudley said she is skeptical about how many in the area can afford to use the facility. "There is no shuttle to take them up there," she said. "And many of the programs are geared toward the affluent crowd of people, where people pay $80 for gymnastics classes."
Bill Sheehan, general manager of the center, disagreed. Many residents of the surrounding communities have benefited from the center and are taking advantage of its programs, he said. For example, eight members of the center's 56-member competitive gymnastics team are from the surrounding area, and 30 percent of the center's 15,000 fitness members live there.
"We're playing a big role in the community," Sheehan said.
Dawkins said many of the people who live near the stadium just wanted a recreation center where youngsters could go for free. "They didn't want some lavish recreation center that cost $30 to $40 million," he said. "You could have built a rec center for a whole lot of areas."
Cooke also started an endowment of $1.5 million for scholarships and other educational programs for youths who live in the impacted area. Dennis Brownlee, president of the LEARN Foundation, said the board has awarded 755 scholarships, totaling $414,000, since 1996. Six grants, totaling $30,000, also have been awarded.
Dawkins said he remains upset because he believes the county reneged on a 1995 pledge to dedicate stadium tax revenue to the surrounding communities.
Last year, a council member who represents the area tried to make up for it by introducing a bill to set up a special fund. Ten percent of admission and amusement taxes on Redskins and concert tickets, which go in the county's general fund, would have been diverted to the fund.
The bill never made it out of committee because it didn't have broad-based support. The council instead approved a measure that allocates $500,000 a year through 2011 to finance grants to community-based agencies in the area. The funds are subject to availability.
"Give the people what you said you were going to give them, because the people are the ones who are taking the hit," Dawkins said.
