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The Washington Commanders remained mum on reports Wednesday about an altered deal to bring the team to a new stadium at the old RFK site, while the D.C. mayor reiterated supporting getting the deal done and the council to vote speedily and finalize it.
First reported by NBC Washington, the details of the altered agreement between the D.C. Council and the team are not yet clear, but it reportedly changes the financial terms from Mayor Muriel Bowser’s original deal.
If so, a vote could come shortly after public hearings, the first of which is scheduled for July 29.
The Washington Commanders told WTOP they had no comment but acknowledged ongoing constructive dialogue regarding the stadium plan.
At a groundbreaking ceremony in Southeast D.C. on Wednesday, Bowser said she supports “getting the deal done.”
“In every economic development deal, there are adjustments to terms, every one of them. I’ve been doing this for 15 years. And what’s not OK, though, is delaying for delaying’s sake. If there’s something that needs to be changed, let’s change it. Let’s change it,” Bowser said.
Council Chair Phil Mendelson, along with other members of the council, had expressed concern over the structure of Bowser’s initial agreement with the Washington Commanders, specifically the $1 billion in D.C. money that would have been used for stadium infrastructure and the building of parking garages.
The total projected price tag for the new stadium is $3.7 billion.
The original deal between Bowser and the team came with a July 15 deadline, which the council said it likely would not be able to meet as it reviewed the deal’s terms and worked with Commanders representatives on the financials.
While council approval is one of the biggest hurdles for the new stadium, there are some unresolved hang-ups, including President Donald Trump’s threat to hold up the deal if the team doesn’t revert to its original name.
Additionally, the group “Homes Not Stadiums” is going through the process of getting a ballot initiative to voters aiming to block D.C. mayors from licensing or leasing the RFK Stadium property.
Council member Charles Allen, a vocal critic of the stadium project, has said he agrees with the group’s premise that mixed-use development and affordable housing could be brought to the RFK Campus without the stadium as an anchor.
WTOP’s Abigail Constantino contributed to this report.
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