Wilson Building Bulletin: Bowser, the stadium tour

If she hadn’t already been clear on what she wants to see built at the old RFK stadium site, last week Mayor Muriel Bowser drove the point home. “The site needs an anchor to kickstart the development, and our vision is that anchor would be an NFL stadium,” she said. And yes, she wants taxpayer funding for it.

Bowser spoke at a public meeting at Eastern High School’s auditorium last Thursday about the 174-acre site a mere two blocks away, which D.C. recently gained more control over after Congress signed off on a new and more flexible lease with the city for the site. It was the first time she spoke at length to the public about the stadium and site since a public meeting in Kingman Park some 18 months ago. 

“We can indeed do it all,” said Bowser, telling the packed house at Eastern that she’d like to see new housing, retail, entertainment, and parks emerge from what is now a rusty stadium surrounded by acres of parking.

But doing it all will have to start with something, and Bowser said that something would be the new stadium for the Commanders — a team that is finally stoking local excitement. “We know it’s the right time and we have the right partner. We haven’t always been able to say that. We have the best site. They played there, they won there, we have the best transportation infrastructure,” she said of RFK. “[A stadium is] the fastest and shortest route to developing the site.”

Thursday’s meeting marked the start of what is likely to be an extended public process and debate over what will happen at RFK. City officials shared preliminary information on the impending demolition of the old stadium (which will take up to 22 months, no dramatic implosions needed), and Bowser fielded questions on issues big and small from the crowd.

No, she reassured a resident — no nearby homes would be taken as part of the site’s redevelopment. Yes, she would like to maintain the existing skatepark and sports fields, but it remains to be seen how those can be worked into the 30% of the site that has to be set aside for open space and recreation. Yes, parking will be provided onsite, but it will likely be in garages instead of surface lots. And yes, D.C. will talk to Metro about improvements to Stadium-Armory station — and whether a new one at Oklahoma Avenue would be feasible.

Bowser also made clear she’s thinking big about what a possible new stadium, which would occupy 20 to 25 acres of the site, would look like. It wouldn’t only be used for football, and she would want an iconic design. “The stadium will be on the monumental axis in the nation’s capital, so it has to be big, not in terms of size, but the vision of it,” she said.

That monumental design, though, could have a monumental price tag. New NFL stadiums often top $1 billion, and Bowser told the crowd she wants some public funding for a new Commanders stadium, but didn’t specify how much or whether it would be used merely to prep the site or to actually build the stadium. (Public opinion is divided on whether taxpayer funds should go towards a stadium.) She insisted that doing so would be a good investment because a stadium could spur development on the rest of the site, just as Nationals Park served as a lynchpin of development around Navy Yard. (A baseball stadium is used for far more events every year, of course.)

Opponents of the stadium were also on hand to speak out against what they deride as a “billionaire’s playground” at RFK. And they may have at least some allies on the D.C. Council, which is showing less enthusiasm — for now, at least — over directing public funding to any stadium. It’s still early days in the debate, though, and there’s no sense yet of what a final stadium deal might look like. 

Rideshare recall

It’s not uncommon for businesses to contribute money to candidates running for office, but it is somewhat unusual to see one leading a push to recall one from office. 

But that’s what’s happening with two senior officials from the controversial rideshare app Empower, who are spearheading an effort to recall D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb. The D.C. Board of Elections green-lighted the recall campaign on Feb. 14, giving the proponents six months to collect signatures from 10% of registered voters to get the recall on the ballot.

The Virginia-based company – which fashions itself as a cheaper alternative to Uber and Lyft – has already thrown some elbows to head off fines, lawsuits, and investigations into its operations in the city, but pushing to recall Schwalb represents a new escalation in the political battle. 

“Brian Schwalb has made false statements to the press, opposed drivers' civil rights, and weaponized the legal system to target businesses and individuals who conflict with Uber's agenda. His ties to Uber raise serious concerns about corruption & self-interest,” tweeted the company early this month, referencing Schwalb’s past role as a senior partner at the law firm Venable, where he worked prior to being elected in 2022. 

Schwalb, for his part, says the claims about any links to Uber are false. Additionally, in his response to the recall (which is published on all the petitions that are circulated to voters), Schwalb’s camp says, “Empower and its executives are abusing the recall process by trying to stop AG Schwalb from doing his job to protect rideshare passengers and hold Empower accountable for breaking D.C. law. Empower is violating D.C. laws that protect passengers, including laws requiring registration as a rideshare company, proof of insurance, and driver background checks.”

The recall attempt faces steep odds, notably because proponents have to collect more than 48,000 signatures from D.C. voters to get it on the ballot. No recall of a citywide elected official or member of the D.C. Council has ever succeeded; none have even made it on the ballot. In the meantime, Empower faces another costly problem: daily $25,000 fines for continuing to operate in the city in contravention of a court order. 

Save the date, Ward 8

July 15, 2025: That’s the date that Ward 8 voters will be electing a new councilmember to replace Trayon White, who was expelled earlier this month over federal bribery charges. 

At least one candidate has already emerged — Salim Adofo, an ANC commissioner who unsuccessfully challenged White in the Democratic primary last year. And according to the Washington Informer, there may be two more candidates in the offing: Sheila Bunn, the former chief of staff to former Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray; and Mike Austin, an attorney and former council staffer who last ran for the Ward 8 seat in 2020.

Candidates have until April 17 to pick up nominating petitions and will have to collect signatures from 500 registered Ward 8 voters to get on the ballot.