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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and leaders with the Washington Commanders had a chance Wednesday to make their case for approving the $3.7 billion deal that would bring the football team back to the District.
The council first heard from Mark Clouse, president of the Washington Commanders.
“This is a historic moment and one of extraordinary opportunity. Together, we can deliver the fastest and surest transformation of the RFK site into something that brings people together, drives growth and shows what’s possible when public purpose and private commitment align,” Clouse said.
Clouse said from the stadium’s first year, the project is expected bring in $1.3 billion in gross revenue, 57% of which will be new net revenue to D.C., and $800 million in direct spending.
Mayor Muriel Bowser described the deal as a “BFD,” which stands for “big f—ing deal,” in addition to it being an economic driver for D.C.
“On Friday, council members, I’m asking for your strong, unified vote to help shift our economy, grow jobs, grow business opportunities and to bring our team home,” Bowser said. “To borrow a phrase, this is a BFD. Very big.”
The questions to the team and the mayor were centered on community benefits, parking, the environment and the timeline for the project.
Ahead of the meeting, the Commanders shared a commitment letter with the council, which WTOP obtained a copy of. In it, the team promised to cover any cost overruns and to cover any maintenance costs that exceed the money that is in the stadium maintenance fund.
Parking and public transit
On the topic of parking, Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen raised concerns about the roads around the stadium not being able to handle the increase in vehicle traffic.
Clouse said the team, in response to concerns, will pause the building of a third garage to study what happens when the stadium opens and make necessary changes.
“We will take the time to do an appropriate study, which we will share with the council on what we’re finding, on what the demand is from fans, from our events, our concerts,” Clouse said.
Allen said while he’s happy to see the third garage delay, his concerns remain.
“It doesn’t exclude that other garage, though. It’s just kind of hitting pause on it,” Allen said.
Allen urged the team to push the use of public transit and reduce the number of parking spaces.
Some questions also centered on whether the Metro system can handle the crowds, and the team said it will work with the city on the needs of the RFK campus, even if that means an additional Metro station will need to be built.
On the possibility of a new Metro station, Mayor Bowser cautioned the council on combining a need for a Metro station with what is included in the stadium deal, because a new station would fall on the regional partnership that funds Metro throughout the region.
“I would be careful. I would just really argue for the benefit of taxpayers that we don’t let WMATA or the compact partners off the hook in terms of investing in compact stations,” Bowser said.
Timeline and housing
When it comes to a timeline, At-Large Council member Anita Bonds asked for more details on when the other mixed-use development will begin.
Clouse said since the team would have the ability to lead the development, their plan would be to start the work in tandem. But, he said, the housing would take a bit longer by design, to make sure things such as infrastructure and services are in place.
“One of the things that is extremely important in building these communities out is that we don’t do the housing in isolation of many of the services,” he said.
At-Large Council member Robert White raised concerns about the plan potentially pricing current residents out of the ward. The discussion led to some tense back and forth between the mayor and White.
“There are people who live around the site now whose tax dollars are going to be used to build a stadium that will price them out, whether they’re renters that will see rent go up, or they’re retirees whose property taxes will go up,” White said.
The mayor said the city has protections in place for homeowners to prevent spikes in property taxes, especially for seniors, but agreed to discuss the topic more with White.
The other heated moments were between the mayor and Ward 5 Council member Zachary Parker over whether Project Labor Agreements should extend beyond the stadium.
The deal calls for a PLA for the stadium, and the team committed to a PLA for the hotel that will be built, only if 51% of the employees are D.C. residents.
Bowser called that “striking the right balance.”
“I am concerned about saying the unions have to be (given) preference on the $2 billion part and on everything else,” Bowser told reporters after the meeting.
The team also said it has marked $50 million for community investment over the 30-year deal, including $20 million for a Commanders Youth Academy, $3 million for grocery store subsidies in Ward 7, $5 million for workforce development and $2 million for community events and tickets.
After the meeting, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said he believed the votes were there and does not believe the community testimony on Tuesday will change the financials of the deal.
“It was important to hear, and it was said in many different ways, but I can’t think of much that was actually a brand new, never-heard issue,” Mendelson said.
After the meeting, Bowser also said she believed the votes were there, but did not want to give a number for how many council members she believes are going to vote for the project in the first vote.
After Friday’s vote, the second and final vote will take place on Sept. 17.
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