D.C. Council grants initial approval to the Commanders deal

The D.C. Council on Friday approved a $3.7 billion deal to redevelop the RFK Stadium site, clearing the way for the Washington Commanders to return to the District and for a major mixed-use transformation of one of the city’s largest tracts of public land. The council will take a second and final vote on the measure by Sept 17.

The bill moved forward on a 9-3 vote, with swing members like Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker, and Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George ultimately backing the deal after a series of amendments aimed at strengthening labor protections, boosting small business participation, and increasing community oversight. “I'm a ‘Yes’ vote today, but that is because we worked hard to get these [amendments] into the agreement, to make sure we have these protections and make sure this is a big deal for our city,” Allen said during the vote on Friday.

Other councilmembers, including At-Large Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder, and Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto, have long framed the RFK redevelopment as a rare opportunity to bring long-promised investment to the neighborhoods around the stadium.

“It’s a big, beautiful deal,” McDuffie said on Friday. “It supports our District of Columbia residents… supports our workers with good-paying jobs… keeps RFK open during the construction…and makes stronger environmental protections.”

At-Large Councilmember Robert White, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, and Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin voted no on the bill, maintaining they weren’t convinced the deal had enough “teeth” to guarantee long-term benefits beyond the stadium, or enough transparency about how it would all get done.

“Today, we’re going to fund one of the largest corporate subsidies in history for a sports arena,” White said. “But just four days ago, we voted to cut programs to feed our kids and keep families housed. It doesn’t sit right with me.”

For Mayor Muriel Bowser, the council’s initial approval marks a major political win – perhaps a defining one for her administration. She celebrated the outcome on Friday, declaring that the redevelopment would “deliver jobs and opportunity when our city needs them most.”

“The era of a crumbling sea of asphalt on the banks of the Anacostia is finally coming to an end,” Bowser said in a press release posted on X Friday following the vote. “In its place, we will bring our team home and deliver a state-of-the-art, Super Bowl-ready stadium for our Commanders, more than 6,000 new homes for D.C. residents, a SportsPlex for our kids, parks and recreation space for the community, and so much more.”

What’s in the deal

The Robert F. Kennedy Campus Redevelopment Act of 2025 authorizes the District to transform the long-vacant, federally owned RFK Stadium site into a 180-acre mixed-use development. The centerpiece is a proposed 65,000-seat stadium for the Washington Commanders, which the team and its new owner, Josh Harris, will pay for. But the broader plan extends far beyond football.

The bill lays out an ambitious vision: more than 6,000 housing units, with a third set aside as affordable, split evenly between low and middle-income families. The plan also calls for a hotel, a retail and dining corridor, a youth sportsplex, and major public infrastructure upgrades. Two new parking garages would be built near the Kingman Park neighborhood, with a third planned closer to the riverfront. City officials estimate the full buildout could generate $5.5 billion over 30 years, including $1.3 billion in stadium-related revenue and $4.2 billion from income, sales, and property taxes across the rest of the campus.

While the Commanders will pay to design, build, and operate the stadium, the city is still putting up significant funding to support the broader redevelopment. All told, the public investment comes out to about to $1.7 billion over 30 years. That money will go toward roads, utilities, public sports and recreational facilities, and parking.

The bill also gives the stadium and garages a break on property, deed and some sales taxes. There will be a 4.25% sales tax on tickets and most non-food purchases at the stadium. (For full details, see our previous story on the deal hammered out between the Commanders and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson.)

The plan also sets up a new transit fund that will start collecting leftover bond money — up to $30 million a year — to help pay for bus upgrades, new bike and pedestrian paths, road work, and potential Metro improvements. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has even floated the idea of adding a second Metro station near the site.

In exchange, the Commanders have made a series of community commitments:

• Local hiring: At least 51% of stadium and hotel construction jobs must go to D.C. residents, with smaller contracts set aside for local businesses.
• Small business participation: The team pledged $15 million in contracts for D.C.-based small businesses. On top of that, the bill requires that at least 40% of the total development budget go to certified small businesses, with a target of 50%. Of those, at least 10% must be based in Wards 5, 6, 7, or 8.
• Youth and workforce programs: A new Youth Academy in Ward 7 will offer sports, tutoring, and mentorship. The team will also support job training and apprenticeship programs.
• Community benefits: The Commanders will invest $50 million over 30 years in grocery subsidies, small business support, job programs, and events focused on Wards 5, 7, and 8. A new oversight committee will track whether those commitments are met.
• Open space access: The Fields at RFK will remain open during construction, and community festivals can continue on-site.
• Sustainability: The stadium is expected to meet high green building standards, with potential solar and battery storage features.
• Transit and traffic: The team has agreed to traffic mitigation measures and to preserve space for a future Metro station.

What gave councilmembers pause

The deal may have cleared the council, but it wasn’t without friction. Several lawmakers voiced unease in the days leading up to the vote over the pace, the promises, and the fine print.

The mayor rolled out her proposal for the stadium deal in late April. Less than three months later – and just two days after a marathon public hearing – councilmembers were asked to vote on the bill.. The latest version was renegotiated behind closed doors by Mendelson and unveiled just last week. That breakneck timeline drew backlash from residents and lawmakers alike, who said key details on housing, labor, and transit needed more ironing out.

Nearly 500 people showed up to the public hearing on the proposed deal, and testimony stretched for more than 13 hours. “This deal was rushed,” said Melissa Hoppmeyer, a Ward 7 resident. “It lacks transparency and does not deliver tangible or lasting benefits to the residents of D.C., and specifically to Ward 7 residents.”

A few councilmembers echoed the criticisms.

“The Council took six months to negotiate a solid deal with the Nationals back in 2004,” Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau said in a statement posted on X on Tuesday. “Now, on a deal that is five times bigger, we are being asked to approve a massive proposal in less than three months, and vote on the latest version of it a week after it was revealed.”

One major sticking point during the marathon two-day hearing was housing. Councilmember Robert White pressed the mayor's office on how the city planned to prevent displacement around the RFK site. Without a dedicated anti-displacement fund, he warned, longtime residents would be priced out.

"We know what displacement looks like in this city more than anywhere else," White said. "And I'm not going to turn a blind eye to that or forget about it."

Bowser pointed to existing protections, including a 10% cap on annual property tax increases and even tighter limits for seniors. But she pushed back on a dedicated fund for the site, saying it would be better to take a citywide approach to issues of displacement. In the end, White remained unconvinced by promises from the mayor and representatives from the team. “No billion-dollar team should get tax breaks while our communities get priced out,” he wrote in a statement on Thursday.

Labor protections were another sticking point. Both Parker and Lewis George pushed for union guarantees to apply across the entire development — not just the stadium. While the Commanders agreed to a Project Labor Agreement for stadium construction, they initially declined to extend that promise to other commercial parcels. But just hours before the vote, Parker and George announced a last-minute binding agreement with the Commanders and union leaders to require union jobs throughout the stadium and hotel construction, and to guarantee that at least 51% of those jobs will go to D.C. residents. The deal, which the two lawmakers say helped seal their support, also ensures workers will have the right to organize and bargain collectively.

“This is a victory for the workers who keep our city running, and who deserve fairness, dignity, and a voice on the job,” Parker and Lewis George said in a joint statement.

Residents and councilmembers also raised broader concerns about the project’s long-term impact on the environment, the city’s finances, and its ability to hold developers accountable. Some warned that increased car traffic could undercut D.C.’s climate goals, while others flagged legal and financial risks if deadlines slip or promises fall through. A council-commissioned report noted that construction delays could shrink the project’s expected tax revenue and strain repayment plans.

"Deciding the future of the RFK campus is too important to our city to be rushed,” Ward 1 resident Elinor Hart said during this week’s hearing. “The council needs to carefully consider whether development dominated by a football stadium that is usually empty will do the best possible job of meeting the city's needs.”