The D.C. Council will ultimately decide the fate of a proposed new stadium at the RFK site for the Washington Commanders. Now, residents are getting a chance to review the plan and tell council members how they feel.
More than 300 people attended the latest forum on the stadium as the council discusses the proposal and a likely vote later this summer. The meeting was held Monday night in Ward 7, where the proposed stadium would be built.
Many of the people who spoke up said they are against the plan.
One man named Ivan said he’s tired of people from outside Ward 7 telling residents what they need.
“I want to talk about the racial inequalities of people who don’t live in this ward keep telling us what we deserve,” he said.
Another woman said she is concerned about the proposed parking garages for the stadium, which could hold as many as 8,000 vehicles, compared to Nationals Park, which has less than 2,000 team-run parking spots, but there are other private lots nearby.
“We do not want to have an obstructed view from aboveground parking, just to pollute our air,” she said.
The Commanders would pay $2.7 billion for the stadium and the city would foot about $1 billion for site development, parking garages, utility needs and a nearby sportsplex.
Ward 7 Council member Wendell Felder, however, believes the new stadium will spur economic development along the Anacostia River.
“When investors are looking across the city and trying to figure out where they should invest, they skip over Ward 7,” Felder said.
The newest member of the D.C. Council has [already indicated he intends to vote in favor of the plan.](https://wtop.com/dc/2025/04/where-does-dcs-city-council-stand-on-the-rfk-deal/)
Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert noted that the plan would bring more than 6,000 housing units to a part of the city that desperately needs affordable housing.
“It is the fastest and surest way to ensure that we get housing on this site,” Albert said.
Albert said if the measure is approved, construction must begin by the fall of 2026 for a 2030 opening date. She added that the proposed roof on the new stadium will attract concert tours and the potential to host a Super Bowl game.
The existing RFK Stadium, which has been at the East Capitol Street and Anacostia River location since 1961, is in the process of being demolished.
Others argued that Ward 7 is underserved when it comes to grocery stores and other amenities, and the city should be focusing on developing those types of businesses rather than spending a millions on a stadium that they argued will be used only a limited number of times a year.
Mayor Muriel Bowser recently told WTOP she is confident the measure will have seven or more yes votes when the council votes sometime in July.
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