Soon after taking over the MLK Deli in Southeast Washington, Tyrone White found himself with an inviting opportunity: opening a concession stand at the new neighborhood arena where the Washington Mystics play home games.
Washington, D.C
D.C.’s poorest ward aims anger at Leonsis as Mystics eye move downtown
Now White fears he could lose the revenue generated by the concession stand — enough to help him open a second deli in another struggling area — if Ted Leonsis relocates the Washington Wizards and Capitals to Virginia and moves Mystics home games downtown to the Capital One Arena.
“I’d have to cut back on jobs and opportunity for the community,” White said the other day at his deli on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, where his menu includes “Marion Barry Salmon Cakes,” a toast to the neighborhood’s favorite former mayor. “It would be devastating.”
As Leonsis and Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) touted the deal for the $65 million arena nearly a decade ago, the Mystics’ billionaire owner talked with passion about creating a new horizon for the neighborhood of Congress Heights in Ward 8, a corner of the city long defined by poverty and violent crime.
But with his announcement that he would shift Mystics games downtown to the Capital One Arena if the Wizards and Capitals relocate to Alexandria, Leonsis is seeking to remove a key attraction that D.C. officials are counting on to help fuel investment and propel the neighborhood’s renaissance.
When it agreed to the deal with the city, Leonsis’s company, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, signed a 19-year lease at the Ward 8 arena, a commitment that included not only Mystics home games but also Wizards practices.
“Our expectation was what it still is — the presence of the Mystics and Monumental was going to be the excitement we were going to build around,” said Monica Ray, president of the Congress Heights Community Training and Development Corp., a nonprofit that has advocated for the redevelopment of St. Elizabeths.
“I’m angry that they think they can get up and leave the promise and potential there,” Ray said. “It feels like Ted has forgotten his commitment to Ward 8. We should not be an afterthought.”
Her disappointment is not isolated. After Leonsis’s announcement, a Ward 8 council candidate, Markus Batchelor, described the Mystics potential move as “a blow” to spurring economic growth “where it’s needed most.” Ron Moten, a veteran Anacostia-based activist, threatened to organize a boycott of Monumental sports franchises and brands unless Leonsis reversed course.
Even if Virginia officials approve Monumental’s plan, the Capitals, Wizards and Mystics would remain where they are until 2028. In addition, the Mystics would maintain their offices and still practice at the Congress Heights arena. The Capital City Go-Go, Monumental’s team in the NBA-affiliated G League, also would continue to play home games in Ward 8.
John Thompson III, senior vice president of Monumental Basketball, said the Mystics need to move downtown because Entertainment and Sports Arena’s 4,200-seat capacity is too small to accommodate the team’s growing popularity. The Mystics won the 2019 WNBA championship on their home court.
Thompson also said that Monumental would remain a pronounced presence in Ward 8, helping community organizations through financial contributions. As part of its agreement with the city, Monumental is required to make $10 million in contributions, an obligation it says it has already exceeded.
“I can’t stress enough that we’re not leaving, there’s still a commitment to the neighborhood,” Thompson said in a phone interview. He added that Monumental would work with the city to “bring other events” to Congress Heights “to help fill the void” if Mystics’ home games move. “Our commitment to the community is not going to change,” he said.
Bowser’s administration, in a statement, said that the city’s contract with Monumental “requires” that the “Mystics play their home games and the Wizards hold their practices at the Entertainment and Sports arena until 2037.
“The District honors its contracts, and we trust and expect our partners to do the same.”
Leonsis’s plan to move the Capitals and Wizards to Alexandria has prompted a wave of concern about the future of downtown Washington, where the 1997 opening of what was then known as the MCI Center spawned a thicket of new office and condominium towers and spurred the opening of bars and restaurants.
As he promoted the new Ward 8 arena in 2018, Leonsis spoke of the development that occurred around Chinatown and Penn Quarter, saying, “Let’s do in Ward 8 what we ended up doing in downtown D.C.”
But the loss of Mystic home games — about 20 in a season — is likely to shrink opportunities in Southeast, including for those who have served prison sentences and who pick up work. When the team plays in the neighborhood, for example, 37 “ambassadors,” most of whom are Ward 8 residents, earn as much as $17.50 an hour greeting fans, cleaning up and driving shuttle buses between the Congress Heights Metro station and the arena, Ray said.
Robin McKinney, 50, a D.C. government clerical worker who lives in Anacostia, makes $25 an hour plus tips driving a shuttle bus on game days — extra income she says she needs to keep up with mortgage payments and support her seven children.
“When the season comes around, you know you have a job,” said McKinney, an elected Ward 8 advisory neighborhood commissioner. “You cannot survive in the District unless you have a full-time and a part-time job. If the Mystics don’t play over here, I’d be out of income.”
In a pavilion next door to the arena known as Sycamore & Oak, 20 Black-owned start-up businesses occupy small shops and sell art, pottery, jewelry, cosmetics and food. On game days, thousands of potential patrons pass through.
“When people are coming and going to the game, they stop here or even just look in,” said Tahneezia Hammond, the owner of Glam Station, a boutique at Sycamore & Oak. “Any exposure is good exposure. It’s good for spreading the word. We want the team to make this more of a destination.”
At the same time, there are also business owners in Congress Heights who say they have not benefited from the Mystics’ presence, nor from development at St. Elizabeths, a sprawling campus that is behind a fence and set back from the neighborhood.
Players Lounge, a bar located on Martin Luther King Jr. SE, has been a Congress Heights fixture for more than 50 years, its luncheon and dinner patrons having included Barry when he was mayor and later when he represented Ward 8 on the D.C. Council.
Steve Thompson, owner of Players, said Mystics fans rarely visit the lounge, a dimly lit joint where the menu includes half smokes, fried chicken and pig’s feet. The walls are decorated with banners celebrating Washington’s football team (before they became the Commanders), and a framed photo of Barry and funeral programs of regulars who have died.
“They drive into the Mystics games and then drive on out, they have no reason to come over here,” Thompson said. “If they left, I don’t think it would affect me. By them being inside the gate, they’re almost segregated from us.”
A ’20-year narrative’
On a September morning in 2015, as they announced plans for the new arena, Bowser and Leonsis stood on a podium on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, showering each other with praise and talking of a new horizon for Ward 8.
The neighborhood’s “welcoming embrace,” Leonsis told a crowd that included Wizards stars John Wall and Bradley Beal, “made the decision very, very easy on where we would commit and grow and really commit to a 20-year narrative in helping you and working together to make this a fantastically well-developed neighborhood.”
“You’re now a national news story,” Leonsis said as he has boasted of choosing Ward 8 to build the NBA’s “best” practice facility for the Wizards. “We’re all going to work on and we’re all in this together, creating jobs, being able now to attract other businesses to come here and they will create jobs.”
The construction of Entertainment and Sports Arena was a centerpiece of the redevelopment of St. Elizabeths East, an 180-acre campus that also is to be home to a new hospital, retail and restaurants, and nearly 1,000 units of housing, about a third of which have been completed.
Moten, who has helped arrange musical events at Sycamore & Oak, including a Go-Go Santa at Christmastime, said the arena and pavilion made it possible for Ward 8 residents and Washingtonians across the city to think of the neighborhood in new ways.
“It helps to get rid of the stigma that Southeast has been trying to get rid of for years,” he said. “When you’re a new business and you say you’re over by the arena, it gives you credibility. And when the people come, it’s icing on the cake. They see the arena and they see Sycamore & Oak — I like to call it ‘Black Wall Street.’”
Referring to Leonsis, Moten said, “You gave people hope and now you took away hope.”
White, the owner of the MLK Deli, where the walls are lined with framed photos of King, is not ready to give up. He hopes the Mystics stay where they are, and that patrons buying his steak and cheese sandwiches at the arena know his business is owned by someone who grew up in the area and “looks like them.”
“It’s super cool and it motivates other people to see they can do whatever they want,” he said. “It’s bigger than the arena. And it’s deeper than food. It’s the feeling of, ‘We can do anything.’”
Washington, D.C
BXP Headquarters Shift Highlights Tenant Strategy And Washington DC Portfolio Choices
- BXP (NYSE:BXP) is relocating its regional headquarters to make room for major tenant the Washington Commanders in Foggy Bottom.
- The company is moving into a newly renovated downtown Washington, DC office building as part of this shift.
- The relocation aligns with recent leasing activity and capital deployment in the DC market.
For investors watching NYSE:BXP, this move ties directly to how the company is using its portfolio to support active leasing and tenant relationships. The stock last closed at $59.46, with a 15.0% return over the past 30 days and a 1.7% return over the past week, while the return over the past 5 years is a 27.4% decline. These mixed signals highlight why operational updates like this relocation can matter alongside price performance.
The decision to prioritize space for an NFL franchise tenant and occupy a freshly renovated downtown asset provides additional context on how BXP is positioning its DC footprint. As more details emerge on leasing terms, occupancy, and future capital plans around these properties, investors can use this event as another data point when assessing how the company is managing growth and risk in a key office market.
Stay updated on the most important news stories for BXP by adding it to your watchlist or portfolio. Alternatively, explore our Community to discover new perspectives on BXP.
3 things going right for BXP that this headline doesn’t cover.
This headquarters move sits at the intersection of BXP’s tenant strategy and its capital deployment in Washington, DC. By giving the Washington Commanders a larger footprint in Foggy Bottom and shifting its own team into a recently refurbished, US$25 million downtown building, BXP is effectively using its portfolio as a tool to secure and retain high profile tenants. That matters for a company whose first quarter 2026 revenue of US$872.15 million and net income of US$101.58 million depend heavily on occupancy and long term leases. It also aligns with management’s comments about portfolio performance contributing to an increased full year 2026 EPS guidance range of US$2.15 to US$2.29 per diluted share, where gains on sales and operating trends both play a role.
How This Fits Into The BXP Narrative
- The relocation supports the narrative catalyst around a flight to quality, as BXP is concentrating activity in well located, premier DC assets that can appeal to blue chip tenants such as the Commanders.
- At the same time, shifting internal space and accommodating a large tenant concentrates exposure in a single market and property cluster, which could challenge assumptions about diversification and leasing flexibility if demand softens.
- This news adds detail on how BXP is using headquarters space as part of broader leasing negotiations, a nuance that may not be fully reflected in narrative discussions focused on development projects and capital recycling.
Knowing what a company is worth starts with understanding its story.
Check out one of the top narratives in the Simply Wall St Community for BXP to help decide what it’s worth to you.
The Risks and Rewards Investors Should Consider
- ⚠️ Higher tenant concentration in a single NFL franchise could increase earnings sensitivity to one lease, especially if sector headwinds or usage changes affect long term space needs.
- ⚠️ The move comes against a backdrop where analysts have flagged occupancy pressure and interest coverage as key risks, so additional capital tied to renovations and relocations may constrain flexibility if conditions tighten.
- 🎁 Hosting the Commanders in Foggy Bottom may support occupancy and brand appeal across nearby properties, which can help leasing in a competitive office market.
- 🎁 Moving into a newly renovated downtown office can signal confidence in DC as a core market and help BXP’s own staff operate closer to tenants and development activity.
What To Watch Going Forward
From here, keep an eye on leasing metrics and disclosed terms around the Commanders’ space, including remaining lease length, rent levels, and any associated capital commitments. It is also worth watching how occupancy and cash flow from the renovated downtown building show up in future quarterly results, alongside the company’s EPS guidance for 2026 of US$2.15 to US$2.29 per diluted share. Any commentary on additional relocations, asset sales, or redevelopment plans in DC will help you judge whether this move is part of a broader repositioning of the portfolio or a one off response to a single tenant opportunity.
To ensure you’re always in the loop on how the latest news impacts the investment narrative for BXP, head to the
community page for BXP to never miss an update on the top community narratives.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data
and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your
financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data.
Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Valuation is complex, but we’re here to simplify it.
Discover if BXP might be undervalued or overvalued with our detailed analysis, featuring fair value estimates, potential risks, dividends, insider trades, and its financial condition.
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Washington, D.C
Candidates for mayor and D.C. congressional delegate outline vision for District’s future
By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
The Washington Informer teamed up with the D.C. Democratic Party (DC Dems), the Washington Association of Black Journalists (WABJ), the Greater Washington Black Chamber of Commerce (GWBCC) and the Greater Washington Urban League (GWUL) to host a debate for delegate and mayoral candidates in D.C. on May 2.
The debate covered critical issues, including housing affordability and displacement, education outcomes and economic equity.
Mayoral candidates debate how to balance growth with equity
The mayoral candidates included Councilman Vincent Orange, Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George, Gary Goodweather, Rini Sampath, and former at-large Councilman Kenyan R. McDuffie.
Each drew clear distinction on how to balance economic growth with equity, particularly when it comes to housing education and access to opportunity for D.C. residents.
On economic policy and business investment, candidates debated whether the city’s challenges stem from revenue or how funds are managed. Sampath emphasized the need to grow the tax base by supporting businesses, arguing that social programs depend on economic strength.
“We need to be attracting businesses to Washington,” said Sampath. “We need to make sure it’s easier for them to thrive.”
Goodweather pointed to inefficiencies in city spending, proposing the creation of an equity map to track investments in D.C. residents and businesses.
“We’ve increased our budget 70 percent over the past seven years. Our economy is down 8.5 percent,” said Goodweather. “We need to take a look at the budget and double down on the services that are working. For the ones that aren’t, we need to reallocate those dollars somewhere else.”
Lewis George framed economic growth and affordability as interconnected, arguing that stabilizing residents ultimately benefits businesses.
“What we do is we set up a system in which we allow people to be able to afford to live here,” said Lewis George. “When people can afford child care, housing, groceries and utilities that means those people are going to patronize our businesses.”
Education also emerged as a key issue. All candidates said they would keep mayoral control over D.C. Public Schools.
McDuffie emphasized improving the quality of schools and workforce pathways.
“We’re going to address overcrowded schools West of the park by making better quality schools East of the park,” said McDuffie. “We’re going to make sure we focus on early literacy, trades and apprenticeships for our middle school students— giving them early access to jobs that are being created in projects across the District.”
Lewis George highlighted the need for stronger oversight and student engagement, particularly around attendance.
“I will also be addressing chronic absenteeism because if our students aren’t in school, we can’t close the literacy and math gap at all,” said Lewis George.
Orange proposed making the University of the District of Columbia tuition-free and doubled down on greater investment in workforce development for students.
“I will make sure that every agency in the District of Columbia has a paid youth apprenticeship program upon graduation from high school to make sure that our young people have health benefits, retirement benefits and entry level jobs and they will grow with the District of Columbia,” said Orange.
On housing and displacement, particularly around the planned redevelopment of the RFK Stadium site, candidates offered competing visions for ensuring longtime residents can remain in their communities.
Orange called for deeper affordability thresholds and community input.
“I’m not talking about 80 percent of the area median income, I’m down at 40 or 50 percent of the area median income,” said Orange.
Sampath stressed the need for stronger planning and renter protections, noting that of the 6,000 homes being developed under the project, only 30 percent are affordable.
“We need to make sure we’re protecting our renters rights in that region,” said Sampath. “Under my administration, we will have an equity plan that names exactly how we will do that.”
Delegate hopefuls outline priorities for statehood, housing and economy
D.C. delegate candidates are vying to succeed longtime D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who announced her retirement in January after more than three decades in Congress.
They include: Kinney Zalesne, former White House fellow, Councilman Robert White, Trent Holbrook, former senior legislative counsel to Norton; Greg Jaczko, former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and Councilwoman Brooke Pinto.
On the question of D.C. statehood, White and Holbrook argued that it’s the right moment to finally push the decades-long effort across the finish line.
“People are hungry for a leader that can direct our energy and resources. I’m going to be that leader and build on top of what Congresswoman Norton did,” said White. “This is our time to get statehood.”
Zalesne, meanwhile, emphasized that advancing D.C.’s priorities will require broadening the city’s coalition of political allies and rethinking its economic strategy.
“We need to rethink our economy,” said Zalesne. “That wasn’t true for most of her leadership, but it is now because we’ve had a full frontal assault on our economy by this administration, and we need someone with business experience.”
Pinto also focused on economic transformation, particularly as it relates to adapting to emerging industries.
“I think the biggest difference we need to lean into is accepting new industries to come here,” said Pinto. “We are in an AI revolution, and if we don’t get this right and properly regulate it to keep residents safe, we’re going to miss the boat and wish we had done it sooner.”
On housing affordability, candidates largely agreed the crisis requires both federal intervention and local accountability. White argued for expanding federal involvement through land transfers to the District to support affordable housing development. Holbrook proposed reviving and adjusting a first-time homebuyers tax credit and increasing funding for public housing vouchers.
Jaczko emphasized expanding access to credit and restoring programs aimed at helping first-time buyers.
“One of the programs that’s been severely decimated by the Trump administration is an opportunity for alternative credit programs to allow people who may not have significant credit history to afford a home and to buy a home,” said Jaczko. “That’s an area that I will specifically focus on working to reestablish that program.”
Pinto highlighted her “Breaking Ground D.C.” plan, which includes repealing the federal Height Act and building housing above transit corridors and making rent tax-deductible.
Job displacement and the future of the federal workforce also emerged as a central concern, particularly amid federal layoffs and broader workforce reductions affecting Black and low-income communities.
Pinto argued that the next delegate must focus on both protecting federal workers and helping them transition into new careers.
“It is imperative that our congressional delegate is strong on supporting our federal workforce and on helping people upskill and learn other skills to be part of the economy in other places if they have lost their job,” said Pinto.
Zalense tied these shifts to the erosion of the Black middle class in D.C.
“The DOGE program was not about efficiency. We know that. It was about destroying the Black middle class, and we have got to take that personally,” said Zalense. “We have got to be outraged, and we’ve got to fight for those jobs to come back in a Democratic administration.
WASHINGTON (7News) — If you’ve got plans around D.C., Maryland, or Northern Virginia this weekend, you’ll want to stay flexible.
The forecast brings a mix of warm temperatures, sunshine, and a few rounds of showers and storms—especially Saturday and late Sunday.
Here’s a simple, hour-by-hour style breakdown so you can plan ahead.
Saturday: Warm Front, Clouds, and Spotty Storms
Morning (6 AM – 12 PM)
Mostly cloudy to start
A few early showers possible, especially toward the MD/PA border
Temperatures climbing through the 60s into the low 70s
What’s happening: A warm front is lifting north, bringing in milder air.
Afternoon (12 PM – 5 PM)
Highs reach the mid-70s
Clouds may break at times
Scattered showers and thunderstorms develop
Storm window: 2 PM – 7 PM
About a 50% chance of rain
Severe risk is low, but not zero
Possible:
Brief heavy downpours
Gusty winds
Maybe even small hail in isolated spots
Good news: Not everyone sees rain—but keep an eye on the sky.
Evening & Night (After 7 PM)
Storm chances linger early, then fade
Skies turn partly cloudy overnight
Lows drop to the mid-50s
Winds become light
Most of the night should be quiet and comfortable.
Sunday: The Pick of the Weekend
Morning
Dry and pleasant
A mix of sun and clouds early
Afternoon
Sunny and warmer
Highs in the low 80s
Light southwest breeze
This is your best outdoor day—great for parks, brunch, or yard work.
Sunday Night (After Midnight)
Clouds increase
Showers likely after midnight (70% chance)
Lows in the mid-50s
Winds shift from the north
Rain becomes more steady and widespread overnight
Looking Ahead (Late Sunday into Monday)
A cold front approaches from the northwest
Best chance for rain: Sunday night → Monday morning
Rainfall totals:
Generally 0.10″ to 0.25″
Locally higher in spots
Storms are possible, but:
Limited instability
Severe weather risk remains low
Weekend Planning Tips
Saturday:
Keep plans flexible—have a backup indoor option in the afternoon
Sunday:
Get outside early—it’s the best weather window
Sunday night:
Expect rain if you’re out late or traveling
The Big Picture
This weekend is part of a warming trend, with temperatures climbing from the 70s into the 80s. But with that warmth comes multiple chances for showers and storms, especially as weather fronts move through the region.
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