Wilson Building Bulletin: The Commanders’ stadium deal takes shape

Mayor Muriel Bowser has made no secret of wanting the Washington Commanders to return to D.C., and it looks like she’s one step closer to making that hope a reality. 

NBC4 reporter Mark Segraves broke the news Wednesday that Bowser and the Commanders are close to finalizing a $3 billion deal to build a new stadium for the team at the old RFK site. Under the current terms, the Commanders would invest some $2.5 billion in building the actual stadium, while D.C. would kick in $850 million for related infrastructure and to prepare the 174-acre site for development. The city’s investment – which is similar to how it contributed to the construction of Audi Field – would be spread out, with $500 million reportedly being paid out between 2026 and 2030 (when the new stadium would open) and the remaining $350 million from 2030 to 2032. 

Bowser has hinted for months that this is the shape a possible deal would take. But one unknown is what would happen on the rest of the site, which both she and other elected officials have said should be used for housing, retail, parks, and recreation. Per Segraves, the deal-in-the-making would designate the Commanders as the master developer for the entire site, which would give them control over what else gets built there. That, of course, would count as a major contribution by the city to the team; the development rights to a parcel as large as RFK is could be significant, after all. 

The mayor’s office didn’t offer any specific details when we asked, other than to say that the initial investment for RFK would be included in her 2026 budget proposal which should be submitted to the D.C. Council in the coming weeks. Bowser’s office says the budget will contain “a plan to realize abundant opportunities at our RFK as we forge ahead with shaping D.C.’s future economy.”

Any public investment will have to be approved by the council, and some lawmakers have been critical of the idea of kicking in taxpayer dollars for any football stadium. (Recall that D.C. has already committed $515 million to renovating the Capital One Arena.) They may feel even more apprehensive about forking over money to the Commanders given the city’s increasingly precarious financial picture, as well as a current $410 million budget hole created by Congress that the city has to close. For her part, Bowser says the Commanders stadium would be an anchor for the broader redevelopment of the RFK site, and an opportunity the city can’t afford to miss.

If the council doesn’t put up a fight, voters might. As we reported last week, there’s a new push for a ballot initiative that would prohibit the RFK site from being used for a stadium. Similarly, a new anti-stadium group, No Billionaire’s Playground, is ramping up its advocacy. The group is holding a public forum on April 29.  

Stairway(s) to heaven

If you live in a somewhat new multifamily building, you may have noticed it has at least two stairways for entry and exit. That’s not a matter of convenience as much as a matter of code; like in most other places, D.C.’s construction guidelines require multiple points of egress in case of an emergency. 

But a new movement of code experts, urbanists, and developers has started questioning whether all those stairwells are actually needed. A single staircase would do just fine in most cases, they say, while helping decrease construction costs and allowing for more creative use of space. 

Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau has now introduced a bill to allow buildings of up to six stories to be built with a single staircase, following the lead of New York City, Seattle, and Honolulu. “The District’s second-egress requirement … means that more of a building’s square footage is taken up by non-residential space, which drives up construction costs and future rents,” she said in a notice accompanying the bill. (Some of D.C.’s older buildings already have single staircases.)

But not everyone loves the idea: some experts say that rewriting construction codes via legislation is a bad idea, and organizations representing firefighters argue the possible risks are being underestimated. 

Single-minded fans of the idea have helped kick off similar conversations in Virginia and Maryland.

Other bills: Transit development and John Thompson Jr.

In other legislative news, At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson has introduced a bill that would offer a 20-year break on property taxes to new residential developments at Metro stations, following a similar move Montgomery County took in 2020. Henderson’s office says the tax breaks would make more development projects at Metro stations financially feasible.

MacArthur High School, we barely knew ye. Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin has unveiled a bill to rename the new high school – it opened in 2023, and its first senior class will graduate next year – after legendary Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson Jr. This isn’t much of a surprise though as MacArthur, which comes from the boulevard the school is located on, was always supposed to be a temporary name. In 2020, the local ANC passed a resolution urging D.C. to name the school after Thompson, who died that year.

Open government, you hear?

We told you earlier this month about an emergency bill the council passed allowing lawmakers a lot more opportunities to meet behind closed doors. The bill drew criticism from the press and open government advocates, but Council Chairman Phil Mendelson did make one promise to quiet some of the clamor – that he’d quickly hold a public hearing on a permanent version of the legislation. Well, he’s lived up to his word: the hearing will be held on April 22.  

And it couldn’t come quickly enough, it seems. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has entered the chat, having introduced a bill that would repeal the council’s emergency bill in its entirety. (Recall that Congress has the power to review and disapprove of any bill the council passes.) In a press release, Lee criticized councilmembers for “ducking accountability to make plans in secret.” We’ll take some solace in the fact that Lee seems to support open government, though we also note the hefty irony at play: he’s also the leader of the push to abolish the city’s elected government altogether. It’s tough to have open government when there’s no government at all, no?