Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Commanders owner Josh Harris, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the return of football to the nation’s capital at the historic Robert F. Kennedy Stadium site. The new stadium and mixed-use development will cost over $3.5 billion, making it the largest private investment in the history of the District of Columbia.
The Commanders are contributing $2.7 billion, with the city investing roughly $1.1 billion over the next eight years for the stadium, housing, green space and a sportsplex on 170 acres of land bordering the Anacostia River. Harris said that “We want to host the biggest events in sports and concerts.”
Goodell stopped short of guanteeing a Super Bowl but did say that “Washington chances of host the game would pretty good.” The Final Four’s, CFP Playoff Championships, Big Ten Football Championship Games, Taylor Swift concerts are all the type events the new site could host.
Both Goodell and Harris grew up in Washington and fondly remembered their love for football, highlighting how special it was for them to attend Redskins games. Goodell emphasized that the new 65,000-seat domed stadium for the Commanders would be a significant achievement for the NFL’s return to Washington, but even more importantly, it would be a major benefit for the city.
Harris and Bowser discussed the plans for the new site of Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, which will not only serve as the new home for the Commanders but also create a vibrant new neighborhood. The proposed stadium site will feature a “Plaza District” adjacent to the Hill East community, including a “Festival Plaza” located in front of the stadium. This area is envisioned to offer various entertainment options, housing, hotels, retail shops, and restaurants. Additionally, the “Riverfront District” will incorporate more homes, retail spaces, and restaurants along the Anacostia waterfront. The “Kingman Park District” is proposed to bring additional housing and recreational facilities to the area. Anchoring this development will be the Anacostia River Trail, which will extend along a 30-acre stretch of land by the waterfront.
The project also states that it will build an $89 million SportsPlex for indoor track and gymnastics, along with other features not available in the city’s existing public recreation centers. The site offers over 170 acres of land that has just been sitting dormant for nearly thirty years and this is Mayor Bowser’s signature project.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Commanders back home to the Sports Capital,” Mayor Bowser said in a statement. “We said that we could do it all – Commanders, housing, park space, recreation, retail, entertainment and more – and, together, that’s what we are delivering. When we got control of 180 acres of land on the banks of the Anacostia, we knew right away that partnering with the Commanders would be the fastest and surest route to bringing the RFK campus to life. As we focus on the growth of our economy, we’re not only bringing our team home, but we’re also bringing new jobs and new revenue to our city and to Ward 7.”
While Bowser appears very confident that the city will secure this project, some members of the City Council have expressed concerns about the deal. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson voiced his worries about investing public funds in the project and noted that he was not consulted prior to this decision. He stated:
“The cost to the District will be nearly $1 billion – and that does not include investments in Metro and the surrounding park land site – and I continue to be concerned with investing any public money into a stadium while we have constrained budgets and revenues, and unmet needs.
“It is unheard of to set a deadline for the Council. We were not consulted about this negotiation; it was not even brought up when I was briefed on April 16th. Indeed, other than that one briefing – which was for me, not the Council – there has been no collaboration with the Council. The Mayor needs to focus on getting a budget – she’s on track to miss that deadline by over seven weeks! And adopting a budget, with cuts totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, should be our highest priority.”
The new Commanders stadium project has less public money in it than the new Buffalo Bills stadium at $1.64 billion, Chicago over $2 billion, and Nashville $1.26 billion in a project that costs $2.1 billion.
Tourism generates billions of dollars each year due to Washington’s iconic landmarks, museums, and political significance. The National Mall, Smithsonian museums, and government buildings draw millions of visitors annually. Washington has also experienced significant improvements, especially with the Capitals, Wizards, and Nationals returning to the nation’s capital.
The Capital One Arena has significantly boosted the economy of Chinatown in Washington, D.C. since its opening in 1997. The arena has hosted over 47 million visitors and more than 3,915 events, contributing to a $9.2 billion redevelopment in the area. A city study estimated that the arena’s economic impact exceeds $1 billion, which includes the creation of 4,900 construction jobs and $21 million in new tax revenues during renovations.
Nationals Park has significantly boosted the economy of the Anacostia area in Washington, D.C., since it opened. The stadium was strategically located to encourage development, and it has accomplished that goal. In the five years following its opening, real estate values in the Navy Yard area, where the park is situated, increased by 41%.
Additionally, the average income in the area grew by 51.3% between 2007 and 2015, compared to just 13.7% growth for the entire city during the same period. The stadium has also played a key role in the revitalization of nearby Buzzard Point, where Audi Field, home to D.C. United, was later constructed.
