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Nearly 29 years after the Burgundy and Gold beat the Dallas Cowboys at the team’s final game at RFK Stadium, the D.C. Council approved a $3.7 billion deal that will bring Washington’s NFL football team back to the District.
The new stadium is expected to be completed in 2030, and while many people living near the stadium site are excited, they do have some concerns.
WTOP asked some of the Washington Commanders’ future neighbors along East Capitol Street in Southeast D.C., about their biggest hopes and fears tied to the future stadium.
From 16-year-old high school student Elijah York to retired art teacher Katie Cushman, excitement and city pride are some of the biggest hopes the team’s return can bring.
Cushman, who has lived six blocks from RFK Stadium for 42 years, said she is looking forward to cheering fans and seeing them wear jerseys while walking down her street again. However, she also acknowledged that her husband was not pleased with the stadium deal.
York, who wasn’t born when the Burgundy and Gold left D.C. for Prince George’s County, Maryland, said he hopes the team brings excitement to the District.
Another hope that was mentioned often had to do with economic issues, like when Delano Burnett — who was wearing an old-school style team hat — said he hopes the stadium brings jobs to the neighborhood.
Ward 7 resident Jaida Jackson said she hopes that the new stadium benefits people in all of D.C.’s eight wards.
Idaho native Andrew Enriquez, who lives only 12 blocks away from RFK Stadium, was on his way to Northwest Stadium to see the Commanders take on the Raiders. He wore a Commanders’ No. 41 jersey since he is from the same town in Idaho as Washington tight end Colson Yankoff.
“I just really hope we get it right on a blend between a new cutting-edge stadium to enjoy football, without pricing out the fans,” said Enriquez.
While everyone WTOP spoke with showed excitement, some of the fears they mentioned were housing prices, changes to the neighborhood’s character and — as York said — “traffic, traffic, traffic.”
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