Mayor Muriel Bowser made it clear at a Thursday night meeting that she seeks an NFL Stadium at RFK Campus as the anchor for development of the 177-acre site.
It sets the stage for extensive debate around multiple issues, but particularly in DC Council around the question of who would pay.
Bowser made the remarks in the beginnig of a two-hour community meeting on the future of development on the campus, during which she answered most of the questions posed by attendees.
Interest was high: the meeting was hosted by Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder (D), who represents the area. It was held in the auditorium of Eastern High School (1700 E. Capitol St. NE), nearly filled to its approximately 1400-seat capacity. The meeting started late, as a line of interested neighbors waited to go through security screening prior to the meeting. Around 7 p.m., security gave up and simply itted everyone still waiting.
It was the first time the Mayor had met with neighbors about development since reports of discussions between the Washington Commanders and area Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners (ANCs).
Plans
Bowser said that District control of the RFK site was the culmination of a 13-year effort that culminated at the right moment. “We haven’t always been able to say we have the right partner in the Washington football team, but that’s changed,” she said.
There are no concept drawings or designs for a stadium, Bowser said. “The charge that we would give any architect that works with us is that this stadium will be on the monumental axis in the nation’s capital that’s built on the L’Enfant Plan,” the mayor said. “It has to be big, not big in of size, but the vision of it.”
Bowser said she wanted to develop the RFK Campus with NFL stadium as anchor, arguing this is the fastest route to development with all potential amenities. As evidence of success, she pointed to Naitonals Stadium in Navy Yard but also to Whole Foods at Walter Reed, the Anthem at The Wharf and the District-built hospital at St. Elizabeth East.
The Mayor said planning is in very preliminary stages. The city is thinking about where a stadium would be situated on the site and what kind of investments the District would be willing to make. Other considerations include a park and park uses and how to deliver commerical, residential and other entertainment uses.
Right now Bowser said thinking is that the stadium would occupy 20-25 acres on the campus, with additional space for parking garages, she said. A youth sportsplex first proposed and funded by the mayor in 2022 was still in the plans, she said, although the $60 million once allocated in funding had subsequently been dispersed and would have to be reallocated.
The Commanders, she said, had other choices in the region. But she repeated her belief that the District has the best site, a site at the center of the region well-served by transit and where the Commanders have a winning history.
At this moment, Bowser argued, the District had the opportunity to shape a vision at RFK, a vision that she has discussed since “day one.”
“In my very first swearing-in speech,” Bowser said, “I said we will have a Super Bowl in Washington, DC.”
Who Will Pay
Activist Adam Eidinger asked the Mayor directly about funding, noting that NFL stadiums typically take about $1 billion of public money. “Will you commit to not offering a subsidy?” He asked Bowser.
“No,” Bowser said.
The meeting was mostly mannered, but some questioners or questions sparked a ionate response from the mayor.
One Ward 6 resident thanked the mayor for getting control of the site but then questioned how development would be paid for, particularly opposing public funding for a stadium. His question was the closest an audience member came to outright opposing a stadium.
“What I’m wondering is, how much taxpayer money do we have to invest in the stadium before we restore circulator bus service, before we are able to have the roads clear of ice and Snow on a regular basis, and trash collection?” he asked, before walking away from the mic stand.
“I’m not going to answer the question because he walked away from the microphone,” Bowser said as noise from the audience swelled and Felder’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Delia Houseal, called for everyone to be respectful.
“Well, that’s going out the window,” Bowser said.
Bowser was otherwise mum on costs, but repeated, twice, that there are no plans to take property through eminent domain. “Everything that we’ve talked about today is contained within the site,” the mayor said.
Recreation
Many attendees were concerned with youth recreation. Ed Luthy, Director of pole vault training site DC Vault, located adjacent to RFK Campus, lined the front row of the auditorium with youth in DC Vault apparel. He brought four of his youth champions with him to the microphone.
Luthy referenced the nearby Maloof skateboard park when he asked Bowser, “Can organizations like us not get displaced in the process? We just want to have a little foothold somewhere.” Bowser said that her team and representatives with the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development (DMPED) would sit down with DC Vault and skateboard instructor Jeremy Stettin, who also appeared at the meeting. “We want to understand your needs,” she said.
Bowser repeatedly affirmed that The Fields at RFK would remain part of the site. But multiple people, including representatives from Washington Capitol United (WCU) soccer and parents from various programs asked the Mayor to consider not just preserving but increasing youth sport opportunity on the site. Ambrose Lane, Jr. asked the mayor to consider a vision that included a recreation facility on the scale of the Prince George Youth Recreation and Learning Facility. Others called for a roller skating rink.
Parking
Multiple inquiries focused on parking. Bowser said that parking would be in garages but would not guess at how much space parking would require.
Former ANC 6C commissioner Bill Sisolak, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1967, got a laugh when he referenced the “no parking during stadium events” posted throughout Hill East. “those signs were never enforced even back then,” Sisolak said. “Will you commit this eventing to having an effective widespread ban on parking through our neighborhood?” He asked, asking her to include ticketing and tow trucks.
Bowser agreed, saying the city had learned a lot since then. Noting that Bowser wanted DC to host a Superbowl, which requires 35,000 parking spots, another Hill East resident asked how much space would be required to get that much parking. “We will not be advocating for 35,000 spaces,” Bowser said. But, she added, “that Superbowl will be coming to that site, if we have a stadium. I want to be perfectly clear.”
A resident of River Terrace – Parkside asked about planning around transportation and infrastructure. Bowser said that was an important question and key to the successs of the project. Both Bowser and Felder assured attendees that they were in conversation with WMATA about potential improvements and additions to metro at the site. Felder said he had inquired with WMATA about another station at Oklahoma Avenue. A Hill East parent asked Bowser to ensure that the project would not compromise the walkability of the neighborhood for families in the area.
Bowser referenced the transportation plan (TOPP) in place for the Navy Yard stadiums. However, the plan is questioned by many Navy Yard residents who say it is insufficient and that they avoid driving during game days in the area.
Environment
Bowser appeared flustered by some questions around the environment. Anacostia River Keeper Trey Sherard was interrupted as he asked about an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the property, arguing that Events DC had missed lead in initial testing, obliquely referencing projects such as the Haines Point Pool renovation, which led to a lawsuit after groundwater levels were miscalculated.
“You think that we don’t want to have, like, a safe development there?”Mayor Bowser asked. She referenced both Sherard’s question and a Sierra Club statement released earlier the same day that argued river health should be a priority and that the site was too small for an NFL stadium. She reiterated that whether plans included an NFL stadium or not, the city would “bring this land up to productive use.”
“I appreciate your questions and the concerns,” the Mayor said, “but we’re going to develop 177 acres there.”
Events DC Vice President Steve Johnson assured attendees that the city had commission an Environmental Impact Assessment for the demolition, completed in 2024.
Another questioner referenced an article by Washington City Paper’s Alex Koma. The Loose Lips reporter noted that renovations to Capitol One Arena had an exception from District law ed in 2022 requiring that new buildings financed or owned by the DC government adhere to net zero energy standards and not use fossil fuel energy. The resident asked if the mayor would commit that plans for development at RFK would be consistent with that law. “We’re not at that level of planning,” Bowser said.
Other Concerns
ANC 7F Commissioner Ashley Ruff asked if the anchor could be a grocery store. Councilmember Felder said that he believed that in addition to identifying other ways to attract growth to Ward 7 a solid anchor at RFK would give an economic boost to all parts of Ward 7. Bowser acknowledged the disappointments, such as deals that fell through for Capitol Gateway. But, she agreed with Felder that development will drive development. “What I’m talking about does not preclude a grocery,” she said. “It makes grocery more likely.”
Long-time activist Skip Strobel thanked Councilmember Felder for the meeting. He asked if there would be a memorial to Robert F. Kennedy once the stadium comes down. Bowser said there was no such building in the plan but that she was open to a public park named in Kennedy’s honor, leaving the question of stadium naming open.
Felder has said this is the first of multiple community meetings as the project gets off the ground. The city has launched a new website offering updates on the demolition and planning as well as a form to share your ideas for RFK development.
Visit ourrfk.dc.gov
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of former ANC Commissioner Bill Sisolak. The Hill Rag regrets the error.
