Thursday, July 31, 2025
We’re on the one-yard line … almost there. Signs read, “Now or never” and “Don’t fumble the future.” The vote is tomorrow.
Mayor Bowser and the District Council have a deal with the NFL’s Washington Commanders to build a new $3.8 billion stadium at the RFK Stadium site — returning the team to Washington, D.C., after it departed the nation’s capital in 1997.
The Council will vote Friday on the $3.7-billion economic development project that includes an estimated $2.7 billion in private investment by the Commanders — with D.C. contributing $500 million with additional funding from revenue bonds and other sources. (An additional vote will occur on Sept. 17.)
Many Washingtonians support the deal — including The Georgetowner — while others do not.
The deal involves a redevelopment of the entire RFK campus. The new stadium will be a 65,000-seat venue, part of a larger redevelopment project including housing, retail and parkland. The deal also includes transportation improvements for Metro and roadway access. The Commanders say they are committed to investing $50 million in community development, including youth sports programs and retail.
During yesterday’s hearing about the Commanders deal, lead cheerleader Mayor Muriel Bowser called the agreement “a BFD.” Yes, it’s the largest private partnership pact in D.C.’s history. And yes, Bowser has been pushing for professional football’s return to our city for most of her political life.
The mayor’s fellow cheerleader, Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto, has written: “We have heard from residents across the District that the deal with the Commanders must include new housing to address the housing crunch we are feeling District-wide. This plan includes approximately 6,000 new housing units, one third of which will be affordable.
“The District will build a new sportsplex near the fields that will host year-round sporting events and tournaments for our kids. The District will also develop a new Kingman Park District, which will include housing, hotels, retail and open space and recreational space.
“I have heard from residents who want to ensure that we are securing a fair deal for taxpayers and am thrilled to share that the District will now be receiving parking revenue as well as a portion of sales tax revenue, elements that were not included in the initial deal.
“This development will revitalize this area of Ward 7 and it will also serve as a beacon of spirit and activity for residents across the city who will once again have a football team to call our own, a state-of-the-art sportsplex for our kids, and offer housing, retail, and hotels as a boon to our economy. There will be no other football stadium in the country where you can cheer on your team as you overlook the water and our national monuments.”
We couldn’t agree more. The shining stadium will have the U.S. Capitol in its line of sight and will become a new Washington monument for us and the Commanders. It will be historic.
Now is the time to vote yes.