DC residents, leaders have mixed emotions about the RFK Stadium deal

On some streets surrounding the RFK Stadium site in D.C., there’s excitement about the return of the Washington Commanders. On others, there’s a reluctance to say much, though from the tone, it was apparent some people aren’t exactly excited about the idea.

In an unscientific sampling of sentiment, the opinions were strong, though hardly unanimous.

“I’m exhilarated that they’re coming back. I can’t wait. I’m ready to have them here,” said Mo Jackson, as he sat with some friends in Northeast. “We lost a lot when they left.”

He’s been a fan of the team going back to the days of Sonny Jurgensen and Charley Taylor.

“It brings more to the neighborhood,” Jackson said. “Down in Southwest, they built those stadiums down there, it brought more to that neighborhood. It brought the neighborhood back alive. The neighborhood was dying, just like this neighborhood’s dying.”

“The neighborhood will start looking better because we have a new stadium down there,” said his friend, Charlie Johnson.

Supporters of the stadium are hoping that it will revitalize the neighborhood. Those who aren’t so excited are skeptical it’ll pay off for the city. There’s also a recognition they might not have much say either way.

“It felt like it was more of a debate, and then the past few years, it’s undeniable, it’s going to be the NFL stadium,” Annie Richardson said. “So just how are we going to make the best of that?”

She acknowledges the traffic and the development will bring disturbances, though to some degree that’s the price of living in the city — a price she said she can accept if it leads to more jobs and other benefits to the community.

“I think I have a positive attitude about it,” she said. “I just hope that the city keeps the opportunities for its residents going.”

A few blocks south on 19th Street, one of the neighborhood’s first big redevelopment projects still isn’t completed. On the ground floor of some new apartments are storefronts that are still available to lease — for now at least.

But two restaurants have already dived into the evolving neighborhood — Sala Thai and Duffy’s Irish Bar.

“When we built up this restaurant, we heard they will make the new stadium,” said Pirasoot Kunanuwat, manager at Sala Thai. “That’s why the we invest on this property nearby, that’s what we hoped.”

He was full of praise for the deal, and what an influx of commercial businesses and several thousand more housing units would do for the neighborhood he’s quickly come to embrace.

“We are very happy for the new stadium,” he said, encouraged by the idea of other local businesses launching there.

Those who had much stronger negative opinions tended not to want to speak out, but one longtime resident who remembers life back in the day clearly wasn’t thrilled.

“I’d rather see them pay for the stadium because it’s their team and everything,” the local resident said. “But that’s not the way the ball game works.”

“The city has no plans for the for the site other than the stadium,” that resident added.

He said his neighborhood typically was a mess after games when they were held at the former RFK Stadium and he’s worried about the cost of housing in the future in a neighborhood that’s already seen massive change in recent years.

‘This could be something great for our city’

Activist and founder of D.C.’s Go-Go Museum Ron Moten said he supports the stadium, but feels for the people who live in the area.

“But I know it’s a way to make it work, and I also understand the need for tax revenues in D.C.,” Moten said. “Most people don’t know that Downtown funded a lot of the programs in our city. We lost a lot, especially now with federal jobs leaving, so you have to be innovative on how you make it work. And I believe as long as the community is involved with the process, that this could be something great for our city.”

He said some of the development around the stadium will be good for the community, including proposed recreation facilities.

“My son runs track, and I paid $40, $60, $80 for him to go around the country to get in those meets,” Moten said. “He goes out to Prince George’s County all the time to be a part of that. That’s one thing, but also making sure local businesses are part of the development that goes here, making sure people in the community benefit from it as well.”

Ebony Payne told WTOP she’s happy with the commitment of keeping the current recreation fields in place. But she’s concerned that no promise has been made to keep a current skate park and pole vaulting practice facility in place.

“What comes top of mind for my constituents is the fact that our city is facing a $1 billion budget deficit,” said Payne, an ANC commissioner in Ward 7 who represents the area including the RFK campus.

“Regardless of how that deficit came to be, when you’re talking about cutting cops and teachers and health care for our residents here, it does seem like your priorities are backwards when you suddenly find almost a billion dollars for a group of billionaires who can, quite frankly, afford to front all of the costs,” Payne said.

But for some, it just comes down to the fact that the old RFK site is where the team belongs. Call it nostalgia or good business, some people around the area think the team never should have moved to begin with.

Octavia Dark said she’s excited the Commanders are coming back, saying, “That’s my team.”

DC Council reacts

To come to fruition, the Commanders’ deal needs the blessings of the D.C. Council, and At-Large Council member Kenyan McDuffie said he’s optimistic the deal will happen.

“I’m excited about (it), because I’ve been saying for years now, as a native Washingtonian — somebody who grew up going to those parades, cheering for the team — it’s finally time to bring the Commanders back home to D.C. where they belong,” McDuffie said.

But, McDuffie said he is waiting to see all the terms of the deal before deciding what he will push for in the agreement.

Ward 7 Council member Wendell Felder, who represents the area where the RFK stadium sits, called this a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to transform the site.

“I think, most importantly, my job as a council member is just getting in front of as many neighbors as possible, hearing their concerns, and then work with my team and my council colleagues to develop a strategy to tackle them as they arise,” Felder said.

While there is “tweaking” that At-Large Council member Anita Bonds believes will need to happen, she’s happy to see the deal in place.

“I’m just so delighted that we had the good sense to move forward as quickly as we can. It’s about jobs, lots of jobs, so I cannot say any more flattering things about this opportunity,” she said.

Among those critical of the deal was Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who did not attend the stadium announcement on Monday.

“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. I would prefer that the mayor focus on transmitting the budget rather than putting deadlines on the Council,” Mendelson said in a statement to WTOP.

WTOP’s Kate Ryan, Mike Murillo and Luke Lukert contributed to this report.

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