Washington, D.C., is known for its beautiful architecture showcased in landmarks like the Capitol, White House and monuments. But away from the National Mall, parts of the city have been left to rust, including RFK Stadium and its 174-acre campus.
The campus is the largest unused tract of land in the district, and there’s a bipartisan effort to transform it into a thriving community with restaurants, office buildings and apartment complexes.
“This economic development will help revitalize the RFK Stadium campus creating new jobs and tax revenue for the district’s residents,” Rep. James Comer, R- Ky., said.
The stadium campus is federal land, and it is currently under the control of the Interior Department. A bill that just passed the House would transfer administrative control to the local Washington government for commercial and residential development, recreation and a stadium.
“This allows the District of Columbia to revitalize this site, turning what was once a blight on our nation’s capital into a thriving area of commerce and community,” Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., said. “Importantly, the bill also imposes any remediation or environmental costs onto the District of Columbia, saving taxpayer dollars that would otherwise be spent by the National Park Service.”
RFK is set to be demolished, which is perhaps emblematic of its collapse.
The stadium, once home to the Redskins and host to major concerts featuring bands like Aerosmith, also served as the Nationals’ home for three seasons before they departed in 2007. D.C. United called it home until 2017.
Both the Nationals and D.C. United went to Navy Yard, a gentrification success story in D.C. also located along the Anacostia River. Nationals Park and Audi Field are surrounded by new apartment, condo complexes, stores and restaurants.
“During my tenure, Congress has passed several bipartisan bills to transform underutilized land in D.C. into thriving mixed-used developments,” Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-District of Columbia, said.
In a place where politics is national, much of the opposition to this bill was local. Representatives from Maryland voted against the bill because the Commanders currently play at FedEx field in Prince George’s County. However, the team’s contract to play there ends in 2027. A new stadium and gentrified community around it may be just enough to convince the Commanders’ new owners to bring them back to Washington.
“I believe Prince George’s County in Maryland should be able to compete on a level playing field to keep the Washington Commanders,” Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said. “But this bill would give an unfair advantage to D.C. It’s most certainly not a level playing field when one interested jurisdiction receives a free transfer of federal government subsidized land.”
Norton countered that there is a multi-billion-dollar project backlog preventing the revitalization of this land without the passage of this bill.
“The National Park Service does not have the money to transform the RFK Stadium site from acres of asphalt into parks or mixed uses,” Del. Norton said. “There is precedent for Congress giving title to or administration jurisdiction over federal land to states and other jurisdictions for no consideration.”
The bill still needs to pass the Senate and be signed by President Biden for this to come to fruition. After that, it’ll be on D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to create a development plan.
