The NFL's Washington Commanders and the District of Columbia reached a more than $3 billion deal for a new roofed stadium, including nearby space for potential commercial development, that could be the first step in the team playing in the nation’s capital after decamping for Maryland.
District leaders and Commanders ownership outlined plans Monday for an arena on the 180-acre site of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. The facility on the west bank of the Anacostia River was last used in 2017 by Major League Soccer team D.C. United to play their final home game.
The deal between the District and Commanders' ownership calls for a $2.7 billion investment from the Commanders for construction of a new arena, while the District would contribute an additional $500 million toward construction and more for parking. The D.C. City Council would have to approve the deal for the project to move forward.
If all goes as planned, Washington's NFL franchise would return to the District after playing in suburban Maryland for more than 25 seasons. The team, then known as the Redskins, left RFK Stadium after the 1996 season for FedEx Field, now known as Northwest Stadium, in Landover, Maryland.
The announcement culminates a nearly decade-long effort by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to get the RFK site under District control. At the end of last year, Congress passed the DC Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act.
"This land has been blighted and underutilized for too long," Bowser said at a press conference Monday. "What our deal with the Washington Commanders provides is the fastest and surest route to developing the RFK campus, and not just delivering sports and entertainment, but delivering housing, jobs, recreation and economic development."
Signed into law in January, the legislation paved the way for the District to develop the mostly empty fields around the stadium into a mix of different uses, and lifted prior restrictions under the previous lease. The act also guarantees that 30% of the campus be reserved for park and open space, not including an area along the Anacostia riverbank.
Plans call for a 65,000-seat roofed stadium, alongside 5,000 to 6,000 housing units, with at least 30% dedicated affordable housing units. The stadium will encompass only about 11% of the site, with the rest left to the Commanders to activate and develop with commercial, entertainment and park space.
The new stadium is slated for a late 2026 groundbreaking, according to a development timeline provided by Bowser’s office. The stadium would serve as an anchor for future housing, commercial, entertainment and park space, the mayor said during the conference.
It’s the “single largest private investment in D.C. history,” said Josh Harris, the Commanders' managing partner and controlling owner, at the conference. Funds from the District will come from the Sports Facilities Fee, leaving the city’s operating budget untouched.
Washington's NFL franchise called RFK Stadium home for more than 30 years between 1961 and 1996. Its last game at the stadium was a 37-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 22, 1996.
Since then, the franchise that changed its name to Washington Football Team for the 2020 and 2021 seasons before becoming the Commanders in 2022, has been based at Northwest Stadium about six miles east of the RFK Stadium site.
The new stadium is expected to generate 14,000 jobs through construction alone, and 2,000 permanent jobs. The mayor’s office estimates that the stadium redevelopment will provide $4 billion in total tax revenue, and $15.6 billion in direct spending over the next 30 years.