DC City Council advances $3.7 billion Commanders stadium redevelopment deal

The Washington, D.C., City Council on Friday voted to advance a proposed $3.7 billion redevelopment project that would bring the Washington Commanders back to the actual city.

The proposed project would redevelop and reopen the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial stadium, which has been closed since 2019. If approved in a final vote next month, the project would be a significant achievement for D.C.'s Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has long advocated for bringing the team back to Washington.

The Commanders currently play at a stadium in Landover, Maryland, but hope to open a new stadium in 2030.

The project passed the first vote in a 9-3 split, with the three who voted against the plan citing concerns about the project’s impact on the nation's capital. The bill would include $1 billion in taxpayer money, according to WTOP News.

“The era of a crumbling sea of asphalt on the banks of the Anacostia is finally coming to an end,” Bowser told the outlet. “With the Commanders as our partner, we will deliver jobs and opportunity when our city needs them most. And we will build a campus that makes our city proud for generations of Washingtonians to come.”

Although the city would pay for $1 billion of the redevelopment, the team would pay for the rest. The new stadium is also projected to bring the city $26.6 billion in tax revenue over 30 years, according to estimates from City Council Chairman Phil Mendelson’s office.  

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.