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‘It Ain’t Over’: D.C. Officials Hold Out Hope They Can Keep Wizards, Capitals In The City | WAMU

December 14, 2023
  • D.C. Policy Center

On December 13th, 2023, Executive Director Yesim Sayin was quoted by WAMU:

It was Capital One Arena — formerly known as the MCI Center and then Verizon Center — that revitalized the Chinatown neighborhood and contributed to the general improvement of the city’s economy when it opened downtown in 1997, according to Yesim Sayin of the D.C. Policy Center.

Sayin, an economist who focuses on the District, said the arena was the “main engine of recovery for D.C. back in the ‘90s.”

“It really changed the trajectory of not just Chinatown but was the creator of Penn Quarter and all the neighborhoods around,” Sayin said. “Moving such an anchor is devastating for the city.”

Read more: ‘It Ain’t Over’: D.C. Officials Hold Out Hope They Can Keep Wizards, Capitals In The City

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D.C. Policy Center


Established in 2016, the D.C. Policy Center is a non-partisan research and policy organization committed to advancing policies for a strong and vibrant economy in the District of Columbia. Through rigorous research and collaboration, the D.C. Policy Center develops and tests policy ideas, disseminates its findings, and engages in constructive dialogue and debate.

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