New Stadium News

[88Commanders00]

Until it actually happens, I won’t believe it. DC will be sued to stop by people opposing any taxpayer money being used and by groups who want that site to be used for affordable housing.

[Clay2Ali]

[TK]

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/spor ... 9ht0yug5cc

DC, Commanders close to $3B deal for new stadium at RFK site
Team would pay majority of costs to build stadium, sources said
By Mark Segraves, News4 Reporter

D.C. is close to a deal worth more than $3 billion to bring the Washington Commanders back to the District and build a new stadium at the RFK Stadium site.

The deal isn’t final as negotiations are ongoing, so the number could change, but multiple sources familiar with the deal told News4 that Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Commanders have the framework for a deal in place that would see the team paying the vast majority of the costs to build a new stadium and much of the money provided by the city going for infrastructure that will support the entire 180-acre development.

The Commanders would put up as much as $2.5 billion, and the District would provide up to $850 million, documents obtained by News4 show. D.C.’s funding would go toward what are referred to as eligible capital costs associated with the stadium and infrastructure for the stadium and surrounding 180-acre campus, including parking structures that will serve the entire development.

The District’s investment would be paid in installments, with the first $500 million paid out between 2026 and 2030 for various portions of the work as the stadium and infrastructure are completed. The other $350 million would be paid in 2032 through taxes generated from the new development to cover costs of the stadium or stadium infrastructure.

The final contribution by the team could be less than 2.5 billion, sources familiar with the negotiations told News4.

The deal calls for the stadium and stadium parking to be completed by fall 2030. Commanders owner Josh Harris has been clear he wants a new stadium to be ready for the 2030 season.

The mayor’s office and the Commanders declined to comment to News4 Wednesday.

But at a press conference Monday, Bowser announced the 2026 budget is complete and ready to go to the D.C. Council. If the mayor has a deal for a new stadium, it will have to be in the 2026 budget.

The preliminary agreement News4 obtained refers to the team as the master developer, meaning the team would not only build the stadium but also develop the entire 180-acre campus, which the mayor and council members have said they want to be a mixed-use residential and retail development.

One hurdle is the looming $410 million in budget cuts D.C. faces for the current fiscal year that were imposed by Congress. That must get resolved, then the mayor can present her budget for fiscal year 2026, which needs to be approved by the D.C. Council and Congress.

Separate legislation ready to go to Council would iron out development and use details for the site, including zoning.

Zoning will be a big issue going forward. A group of residents wants a voter initiative on the ballot blocking a stadium by restricting what can be built on the site.

[88Commanders00]

I don’t see this happening, if this becomes a ballot issue.

[Conn]

I don’t see this happening, if this becomes a ballot issue.

A prominent group of billionaires is on the verge of a deal where the group is willing to cover over 75% of the costs (almost everything but infrastructure, which taxes were always going to be on the hook for regardless of the project). That group has already spent millions (and significant effort) developing this deal through political turmoil. Now it’s leaked that it’s close.

There’s no stopping it imo. Harris was always going to get what he wanted in this regard because he was willing to put in the work, knew the right people, and it turns out he’s willing to actually pay for most of it (unlike most professional sports franchise owning billionaires). He’s not Snyder, he doesn’t have enemies, he’s willing to spend money, and he’s not unpopular (beyond general justified hatred of wealth disparity).

This is the type of dude, in this type of situation, who wins and gets what he wants. Over and over again.

[SWIM]

I don’t see this happening, if this becomes a ballot issue.

Kind of a shame thought since the team is just asking for infrastructure improvements which until the city should be doing anyway…

[88Commanders00]

I don’t see this happening, if this becomes a ballot issue.

Kind of a shame thought since the team is just asking for infrastructure improvements which until the city should be doing anyway…

The tide is shifting against giving owners any public money, even if it’s infrastructure. If the Titans and Bills funding had been put to a vote; don’t think the voters would approve the funding.

[BraveLilToasterOven]

I think this is a pretty fair deal - the key to the negotiations should be that the stadium needs to have a roof so it can be used year round for other events like a Final Four/concerts

[Clay2Ali]

Sources: Commanders, D.C. reach deal for new stadium at RFK site

John Keim
Apr 27, 2025, 09:34 PM ET

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/448 ... m-rfk-site

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Commanders are going home. The organization agreed to a deal with the District of Columbia to build a stadium at the site where the team had its greatest success, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Washington struck a deal to play where RFK Stadium -- the team's home from 1961 to 1996 -- still stands. An announcement is expected Monday morning.

Terms of the deal have not been announced, though multiple outlets reported earlier this month that the cost would exceed $3 billion.

Commanders owner Josh Harris has said he would like to open a new stadium in 2030. Washington has a contract with Maryland to play at Northwest Stadium until early in the 2027 season but can continue playing there until a new stadium is built.

Washington mayor Muriel Bowser's plan has long included a stadium, housing, parking facility, hotels and retail space on the 174-acre site, and she has indicated she wants to include a recreational facility.

Bowser has said often she'd like to attract more big-time events such as the Super Bowl or a Final Four, in addition to major concerts.

The D.C. Council must approve any taxpayer money that is used for the project; the group has been split on the topic in the past.


"My position has been that there should not be public dollars -- the D.C. treasury should not be paying toward a stadium," D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) told the Washington Post earlier this month. He told the newspaper that he had been briefed by the mayor on details about a potential deal nearly two weeks ago.

The agreement completes a yearslong search by the organization that gained serious momentum once Harris purchased the Commanders from Dan Snyder. Harris, who grew up in Maryland, made it clear on the day he bought the team in July 2023 how much going to games at RFK Stadium meant to him.

Bowser told ESPN in December that "there were a lot of objections raised to the previous ownership and the direction they took the team."

The momentum further surged once Congress included a provision in a continuing resolution bill in December, giving the city control of the land for the next 99 years. Without that allowance, the Commanders would not have reached an agreement with the city.

Harris and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell lobbied lawmakers on Capitol Hill to pass legislation to allow for the transfer of land. It was signed into law by former President Joe Biden in early January.

At the time, one team source said there was a "75% chance" the Commanders would build a stadium at the RFK site.

The Commanders had considered staying in Landover, Maryland, and building on the site of their current stadium. Virginia had been in contention, but over the past year, it ceased to be a strong option. The team has practiced in Ashburn, Virginia, since 1992; the Commanders' once-antiquated building is in the second year of a three-year upgrade -- renovating the locker room and creating more space for a players' lounge and meeting rooms, among other areas. Their draft war room was used for the first time this past weekend.

RFK has remained a favorite spot for longtime fans, and not just because it's more centrally located. The organization played in five Super Bowls and won three while playing at RFK -- from 1982 to 1991 -- fueling an emotional attachment among the fan base. Harris has talked often about what it meant to him and a number of his co-owners.

[Renegade7]

This was the only way, Harris had to take the lead in building costs of the stadium to get buyin after what happened in SW with the Nationals stadium (this is with respect to potential resistance from DC Council and local residents).

They have so much land to work with they don't need to tear down house on capitol hill and let the current development heading up to Benning road occur more naturally instead of on steroids.

I want to see if they connect the warf and navy yards boardwalks to this all the way up to Benning road...I'll be in my early 40s by time this was done, but in my lifetime the overhaul is nearly complete.

Very nice.