If you are a comic book lover, you may be familiar with such grandiose refrains as “the fate of the universe depends on….”
Well, here in D.C., many city officials, activists, and residents are saying the future of the District will be fundamentally shaped by the passing or nixing of a $3.7 billion deal to bring the Washington Commanders back to the RFK stadium site.
In addition to bringing the team back to the District, the agreement announced last month came with the promise of a shiny new stadium, upwards of 5,000 housing units, 2,000 permanent jobs, and billions of dollars in economic development centered in Ward 7. Commanders owner Josh Harris called it “a once-in-a-generation catalyst for uplifting and transforming our region.”
But like most stadium projects around the country, the proposal has also faced significant debate. Critics have zeroed in on the enormous cost burden to taxpayers — $1.2 billion over 10 years. And in a city that desperately needs more housing, some activists are pushing for the stadium idea to be nixed altogether in favor of building more homes.
As city officials hash out the details, The 51st asked our readers to weigh in on the matter, asking two questions: What do you think of the Commanders' return? How would you want the RFK site to be used?
While the deal will no doubt impact the entire city, the brunt of the impacts – positive and negative – will be felt in Ward 7. More than a dozen residents of the ward weighed in, expressing frustration with the cost to taxpayers, hope for the future development, and a clear desire to emphasize better transportation options over parking. Here’s what they had to say in their own words.
Some answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Money problems
A billion-dollar investment in a stadium was always going to spark controversy, but with the city’s budget battered by the current state of federal politics, many residents focused on just how much this would cost taxpayers amid an already significant financial crunch.
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"A monumental waste of money. The Wharf is a far better model, bringing in significantly more money than putting a stadium here instead of the suburbs would." - Thad
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"A new stadium is generally a bad idea. Subsidizing a billionaire, mostly through parking-related "infrastructure" when D.C. is facing a budget crisis and deep, localized recession, is a terrible idea. The focus should be on housing, improving the existing parks and rec space, with more mixed-use development closer to the Metro station as an anchor." - Tom Buttry
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"I think the deal is awful. I have no problem with football or the idea of the team playing in D.C. What I have a problem with is the community footing the bill, especially in a time of crisis. I have a problem with the city pushing the false narrative that a stadium will somehow “save” the communities they have actively ignored for years. I have a problem with the city putting the notion of being a sports capital above the goal of fostering a welcoming environment for its residents." - Lora Nunn
Kingman and Hertiage Islands sit north of RFK Stadium. (angela n./Flickr)
Mixed hope for new development
Some residents expressed cautious excitement about the development that the project will bring, emphasizing the need for housing, in particular. Others listed a litany of other uses for the site that they felt would benefit the community.
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"I think it's exciting. I hope it will spark much-needed development in Ward 7 that will bring business and jobs to a space that has been underutilized for too long. I hope the city is able to strike a balance between developing and preserving housing affordability to limit, if not prevent, [the] displacement of long-term Ward 7 residents." - Fiona O'Brien
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"I can see the stadium from my front porch and am right across from the RFK fields. [The deal] will greatly impact me, my view, [and] my neighborhood. I'm not totally opposed to it. It could be fun and a good thing for the community. However, I do not trust the Commanders or the city to prioritize my interests, my family's interests, [or] my neighborhood's interests. This, and the cost to taxpayers, is what keeps me up at night." - Emily Smith Goering
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"I think the city is in need of housing, programs for the youth, and we are still waiting for Bowser to bring more grocery stores to what is already a food desert in Ward 7." - Tanisha
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"I'd like to see housing, retail space, parks, a nature center on Kingman Island, a streetcar extension, a shaded farmer's/flea market, sports center for community, dog park, and move the Rosedale Library over there." - Kayleigh Walters
Currently, the site is accessible by the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines, as well as a number of Metrobus lines that stop at the Stadium-Armory station. (The proposed deal also includes a provision to study the possibility of a new Metro station closer to the stadium.) The new development also calls for about 8,000 parking spots. Many survey respondents expressed a strong preference to prioritize better public transportation over an influx of cars to their neighborhoods.
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"It should be walkable, bikeable, and Metro accessible. If someone wants to drive to the game, they can park in Greenbelt and Metro in." - Jen Abella
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"I’m okay with a stadium there. I’m not a football fan myself but I understand a lot of Washingtonians are - but I hate to see us spending so much taxpayer money on parking garages for people to drive in from Maryland and Virginia. As a Ward 7 resident who lives close to the site, I can tell you we need: redevelopment and revitalization! But I don’t believe this plan does that. I want to see investments in transit (Oklahoma Ave Metro anyone?) and neighborhood amenities like groceries and affordable retail and restaurants." - Cecile Murray
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"I live in Kingman Park, and what would really sell me on the project is more transit options for both visitors and residents (e.g. infill station) and investments to improve the H Street/Benning Road corridor (economics and pedestrian safety)." - Catherine Kaufman
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"I’m a Kingman Park homeowner frustrated with parking in the current RFK deal. The deal includes parking decks for 5,000 cars towering over the green space on Oklahoma Ave NE — the main artery to our community. Neighbors fear our concerns are getting lost in the binary discussion of whether or not to develop the site at all." - Alexis Pazmino
George Kevin Jordan is a freelance writer, editor, and author with more than 25 years of experience. He currently lives in Ward 7, and is still discovering new things about the District.
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