D.C. and Commanders near $3B deal for new football stadium at RFK site

Zoom in: While not final, the deal calls for the Commanders to spend $2.5 billion on a stadium at the 180-acre RFK site, one of the biggest remaining waterfront projects on the East Coast.

• D.C. would invest $850 million of taxpayer money toward site infrastructure, NBC4 reports.
• D.C. wants to turn the defunct RFK Stadium (and a sea of asphalt parking lots) into a Super Bowl-ready arena.
• As "master developer," the Commanders would construct an entertainment district with housing and retail.

The other side: A group called "Homes Not Residents" is pursuing a ballot initiative to block the construction of a professional sports stadium at the RFK site, the Washington Post reports.

What's next: Deal terms are expected to be included in Mayor Muriel Bowser's budget proposal for next year. The plan will need D.C. Council approval.

• In the meantime, Bowser began making $410 million in Congressionally-mandated cuts to the city's budget on Tuesday, freezing hiring in city government and planning for furloughs.