WASHINGTON — There are no buzzards at Buzzard Point, a blighted, tucked-away corner of the nation’s capital that waits silently for prosperity to come its way. Its time may not be far off.

On Wednesday, the District of Columbia Council is expected to take a major step toward realizing that hoped-for future by approving financing for a $300 million Major League Soccer stadium to be built near the Anacostia River, in an area now largely regarded as an industrial wasteland.

Under the plan, the D.C. United team and the District government will split the cost evenly. If all goes as planned, the stadium will be completed in 2017. The District’s half will go toward land acquisition and related infrastructure improvements, while D.C. United will pay to build the stadium itself.

City leaders say the 20,000-seat stadium will serve as a catalyst for economic development for this area of southwest Washington, the way that Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals baseball team, did for its formerly stagnant neighborhood just a few blocks north and east.