JUNKIES: Mayor Bowser outlines possible Commanders path back to RFK

You heard it straight from the Mayor’s mouth on Thursday: DC has the best spot for the next Commanders stadium, and it is at the RFK site.

“Fans have spoken pretty loud and clear: no matter where they live in the region, they like coming to DC for sports and entertainment,” DC Mayor Muriel Bowser told the Junkies. “Like with the Capitals and Wizards, we believe we have the best site (for the Commanders) – and we think RFK is the site.
You’ve heard RFK is the spiritual home of the Washington football team, and we have the highway, Metro, and pedestrian access, and quite frankly, we have the experience. We have a stadium that could sit on the axis of the Capitol and other monuments. Those views and experience can’t be replaced, and we believe that there could be a vision for other sites around the region that might have better uses as well.”

Mayor Bowser joined the Junks to reveal a survey from the DMPED office on the impact of sports and sports venues in DC, which showed that having stadiums in urban areas benefits economic growth around them. In the study, it revealed that 7.4 million visitors came to see sports in DC in 2023, with 88 percent being non-District residents, and Mayor Bowser would like to see the first number increase while the second goes down.

“We of course want to make sure that DC residents have full access, and part of our discussions with teams is working with young people to get them interested in the sports in the District,” Mayor Bowser said. “One of our growth areas we know will be soccer, especially with kids. Writers call sports one of our biggest exports, because it’s something that people from outside buy and consume in DC, and that’s not a bad thing when you’re building a diverse economy.”

So about RFK itself, as Mayor Bowser explained, the District controls the RFK land via a lease on it, but in order to make the investments necessary to do anything more with it, the lease needs to be extended and have a covenant removed that restricts it to a sports use.

“Building a stadium surrounded by housing and parks and other family-centered uses is what the District needs for our economy,” the Mayor said. “We’re talking to the Feds about how to do all that now, and that has already passed on the House of Representatives. Now it’s in the Senate, and there is discussion from some Senators as to what they need to be supportive, so we continue to work to make sure that happens.”

To her, the idea of a development with mixed-use – including housing, retail/restaurants, and recreation – is the preferable outcome, especially given what is in Landover now.

“What the study points to is when you have facilities surrounded by other development, it attracts people, office workers, restaurant-goers, and then you have a successful development,” the Mayor said. “That’s what we’ve found around (Capital One Arena and Nationals Park) and that’s only way an NFL franchise could also work in DC. That’s why we spent so much time talking about the revitalization of RFK not just for football, but using the balance of the 170 acres to provide housing, park space, and other destinations that attract people. A development there wouldn’t be a stadium-only thing, because that wouldn’t be an improvement over where the team is now. We want to develop a truly iconic and special experience.”

And for those who think that 170 acres is too small of a space to do all that?

“Are you kidding? It’s 170 acres, and nobody builds big asphalt fields of parking anymore. We want an experience, and great architects have already put their minds to this,” Bowser said. “That’s the type of development we would support – one that would support world-class sports, and not just the NFL – we haven’t gotten the World Cup because we don’t have a sufficient stadium, and Taylor Swift didn’t come here either. World-class facilities are able to attract world-class events, and I don’t think NFL teams are looking to build 100,000-seat stadiums – they’re focused on an intimate experience and getting their fans closer to the field, replicating the comfort and view they have in their living rooms. But we also want people to be able to experience the Anacostia River and trail, and have kids play at an indoor sports compelx we will fund that will have space for our schools. We want soccer fields to be there. We want a mix of great things that can happen with sports.

As she said, part of the study was to outline what sports have meant to DC’s economy, and ‘how they have spurred other development around them when they are thoughtful economic centers’ – and that’s why the District feels RFK is the spot.

“We’re focused on getting control of that land from the Federal government so we can make local investments in it, like we have done with other underutilized Federal parcels,” she said. “What’s a shame is right now we have a falling-down stadium surrounded by asphalt, in a city that really needs housing and economic development. We’re going to continue to try to get control and talk with the team about what their plans are.”

And, yes, it has been much easier to do that in the new era, and the District is committed.

“Just like we’ve done with other teams and facilities, we will put forward the best offer from the district and go from there,” Mayor Bowser said. “We have welcomed Josh Harris with open arms, and one thing I’ll say about him that we’ve seen is they have a winning spirit and want to win, and all of these discussions are better when you have a winning team. He seems to bring a lot of competence to the table with that. He’s a local guy and has firsthand experience at RFK, and he knows the type of investments his group will need to put forth to build a new stadium. He’s going to make a once in a lifetime decision, so we want it to be the right one for the team, the district, and the whole region.”