RFK Stadium deal approved in first D.C. Council vote
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RFK Stadium, where the team played until the mid-90s. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
It's a kickoff — the D.C. Council voted 9-3 on Friday to approve the $3.7 billion RFK Stadium redevelopment deal and bring the Commanders home.
Why it matters: The preliminary approval gets the ball flying before a final September vote — and paves the road to victory for Mayor Bowser's legacy-defining deal.
The big picture: The bill includes directives for a state-of-the-art stadium, mixed-use development with 6,000 housing units and affordable residences, thousands of jobs for D.C. residents, green space, a kids sports complex and more.
- The D.C. Council estimates the deal will earn the city more than $5 billion in tax revenue over 30 years.
What they're saying: "The era of a crumbling sea of asphalt on the banks of the Anacostia is finally coming to an end," Bowser said in a post-vote statement.
State of play: Council Chair Phil Mendelson announced a renegotiated package last week that included new investments from the Commanders.
- Then, hours before the vote, labor leaders threw their support behind the deal, moving the needle for council members who'd previously refused to move forward without a contract.
- D.C. Councilmembers Zachary Parker and Janeese Lewis-George announced that the Commanders and union leaders reached a contract, requiring that mixed-use development agreements must include 51% D.C. worker participation.
By the numbers: The Commanders, who are investing $2.7 billion, have pledged:
- $50 million over 30 years toward community projects (e.g. youth sports, grocery subsidies) — plus "all cost overruns" for the stadium and parking projects.
- 14,000 jobs for the stadium's construction — and that hiring D.C. residents will be prioritized via labor agreements.
- The team has also committed to a 10-year development plan for non-stadium parcels of land, set to be used for retail and housing.
Meanwhile, the amended deal addressed concerns around parking and congestion, and sets up a fund for transportation improvements.
- It also spoke to environmental concerns, guaranteeing the stadium will be constructed with sustainable materials, plus Anacostia watershed protections.
How they voted:
✔️ For: Mendelson, Parker, Lewis-George, Kenyan McDuffie, Charles Allen, Christina Henderson, Brooke Pinto, Anita Bonds, Wendell Felder
❌ Against: Brianne Nadeau, Matthew Frumin, Robert White
Friction point: A seeming lack of accountability to hold the Commanders to a strict timeline to deliver on the mixed-use development, in addition to the stadium itself.
- Councilmember Frumin said, "I wanted to be a 'yes,' I thought I'd be a 'yes'," but voted no after the Commanders rejected "modest mechanisms" like penalties to hold them accountable to the timeline.
- "The later that [development] waits, the smaller the benefit to the District," says Frumin.
Meanwhile, council members White and Nadeau echoed earlier concerns over the $1.1 billion taxpayer investment and return on the project.
- "It doesn't sit right with me," says White, citing the city's budget shortfall and funding cuts.
- "How can we say we don't have enough [money] for our residents on Monday, and turn around and say we have billions for a billionaire franchise on Friday?"
What's ahead: The bill requires a second vote from the full council to pass. The final vote is slated for September 17.
- It can be amended between votes, so a final touchdown is still yards away.
- The goal is for a 2030 stadium launch.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the D.C. Council estimates tax revenue of more than $5 billion (not $674 million) over 30 years under the deal.