WASHINGTON — Holding a #SportsCapital sign, Mayor Muriel Bowser made her pitch for a Commanders return to the old RFK site at an event Thursday morning at Nats Park. This followed the announcement that a bipartisan bill had been introduced in Congress, which would allow D.C. to transform the RFK site into a stadium.
"I've always said it," she said. "There's really only one place for the team in this region. I've been a little coy, but there's only one choice."
The event was festive, as Bowser revealed that she met with the new Commander's ownership group. But as many lawmakers embrace the possible return, some neighbors in the Hilleast community have been raising their concerns.
Denise Krepp, a former ANC Commissioner, who has lived in Hilleast for multiple decades, said she is vehemently opposed to the stadium.
"My thought is ‘are you out of your mind?'" she said.
Krepp argued that a stadium would bring traffic, trash and rowdy behavior. She has also argued that this would be a waste of city money.
"If you’re going to pay for a stadium, then something else is going to lose," she said. "So why as a city would we pay for a shiny toy called a stadium that’s used eight times a year, when we have children that need schools, when we have neighborhoods that need supermarkets, when we have a community that needs affordable housing.”
While Krepp has been vocally opposed, other neighbors have supported a new stadium at RFK.
"We would like to see it come back to life," said Crystal Ross, who lives in the neighborhood. "So I think that would be great to bring the team back."
The RFK site is located in Ward 7, which is represented by Councilmember Vincent Gray. A spokesperson sent WUSA9 the following statement from Gray:
“I have always been open to discussions about re-imagining the RFK site, including the possibility of a new stadium, provided the best interests of District residents -- in particular those in the surrounding communities -- are at the forefront of any outcome. At present, I am eager to learn more about what the Josh Harris Group has in mind for the future of the team."
Neighbor Stephen Fitzmaurice was out walking his dog in the Hilleast neighborhood on Friday, and echoed some of Krepp's concerns.
"I definitely wouldn't hate the economic revitalization," he said. "But I also worry about the noise and traffic in the area."
Lifelong District resident Joseph Bragg said he'd support the team coming back to the city.
"I would be pleased to see it back in D.C.," he said. "I don't care if it's not at RFK. It could be downtown with the rest of the stadiums. I just want it back in D.C."
The D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act was introduced on Thursday by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).
The legislation would transfer administrative jurisdiction over the RFK stadium site from the Secretary of the Interior to the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA). The bill would allow GSA to enter into a lease with D.C., under which the District may use the land for stadium redevelopment, commercial and residential development, or other public purposes.
“The RFK site sits on underused federal land in D.C. that could be redeveloped, generating tax revenue for D.C.,” Norton said in a press statement. “Neither the mayor nor the council chair opposes this bill, which would allow D.C. to put the site to productive use – a vast improvement on the current state of affairs. I look forward to working with Chairman Comer to pass this bill as quickly as possible.”
Council Chair Phil Mendelson said he does not oppose the bill, but is concerned about the cost.
"We are maxed out in our borrowing over the life of the capital improvement plan adopted for Fiscal Year 2024-2029," Mendelson tweeted Thursday in reaction to the legislation. "Any development of the campus must come at the expense of private developers. To expect otherwise would come at the expense of District schools, public housing, better roads, etc.," Mendelson said.
To learn more about what what Maryland and Virginia leaders are doing to get the stadium, click here.
To see where local leaders from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia stand on the stadium debate, click here.