There are apparently some on the DC City Council who believe that, even if the District is able to get the land for the RFK site back from the federal government, that it would be best served as a mixed-use site, mainly for housing, and not for a new Commanders stadium.
Councilman Kenyan McDuffie, however, wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post Wednesday morning that said the opportunity to get the team back in the city is ‘a once in a generation opportunity.’
“I am exceptionally proud of DC’s progress, but we still have work to do to address persistent economic disparities,” McDuffie wrote. “One need to only look at this year’s budget shortfalls to see the effects reduced revenue and a slow rebound from the pandemic have had on the critical programs and services our residents deserve. Economic development can help, and the RFK site offers one such opportunity. Redevelopment has long been explored but stymied by a variety of factors, including a complicated lease agreement and disagreement on how the site should be used. That site can serve as a bridge across the Anacostia River, and we have a unique opportunity for DC to reclaim its NFL legacy. It is time to bring the team home, and a new stadium on the RFK grounds can be an economic anchor for incredible opportunities for our residents, workers, and small businesses. The potential is worth our investment.”
Brian Mitchell’s response to that?
“There are people who are short-sighted when they think only a stadium will be built there, but others have a greater vision of a stadium plus other stuff around it, which does bring economic growth,” BMitch said. “Right now, they have the fields there, but there’s nothing else there; you can build more around there and kill two birds with one stone. How about we do a combination?”
JP Finlay agreed, noting how a re-development around Nationals Park (where our Audacy studios are located) has brought “a ton of cash into the city that wasn’t there before” and the bonds sold against that stadium are already almost paid back - and RFK is an opportunity to do it again.
So when McDuffie, who is the chair of DC’s Business & Economic Development Committee, joined BMitch & Finlay later in the day Wednesday, the Councilman – who is a big fan – was excited to have the chance to talk about bringing the Commanders home.
“We are a world-class city, we can walk and chew gum; you can do a multi-use world-class stadium AND affordable housing across incomes,” McDuffie said. “You can think about the ways we already have assets there, and how they factor into a broader economic development at the space. We have 190 acres of riverfront campus and 80 acres of usable space, so there’s a lot we can do there that will benefit the current residents of DC and also attract people and small businesses while supporting the Commanders.”
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Not owning the site – DC leases it from the federal government – is the biggest hurdle, so the city would either need to buy it outright or modify the lease to be able to do anything like a stadium or a broad development project there.
“Once that happens, we can move forward with conversations about development over there,” the Councilman said. “But, we have to have a productive conversation between our local government, oir delegate on Capitol Hill, and Congress and the President’s office, to get them to transfer that site to the District of Columbia.”
Brian Mitchell played for the Redskins at the old RFK Stadium, so he understands the history and the nostalgia and what could be – and the Councilman’s op-ed was, in essence, a way to ‘paint that vision’ for those who may not.
“A lot of people don’t see eye-to-eye, so the whole point of the op-ed for me was to paint that vision for people who don’t see it,” McDuffie said. “You guys have deep roots in DC, but some people don’t remember that. We have to remind them what a winning team can do for the fabric of the District. Some people say a stadium brings more problems than money, but I think that’s the wrong way to look at it – I’m trying to get people to have a broader approach to what we can bring to that site.”
The Councilman then went on to note how three of the city’s big six teams have won championships in the last five years and DC United has four MLS Cups in their 25-year history, so this is “a city of winners” and the Commanders possibly coming back to the District is a chance to “look past our differences at an opportunity that is staring us in the face.”
“We can address concerns of residents who think this will diminish their quality of life, because I don’t think it will be that way – and the momentum, with the sale of the team, has never been greater,” he said. “We’ve had a couple decades of tough ownership, and we can hit the refresh button now.
New ownership, new name, new opportunity.”
So, what is the message McDuffie, a fourth-generation Washingtonian, has for those in the RFK area who may be on the fence about things?
"I want the people there to know that I will be fighting for them, and the priorities they've expressed about what they'd like, is top of mind for me," he said. "They will not be left out of the conversation if I have anything do with it. I got into politics to help people, so I will be championing their cause."
Take a listen to the Councilman’s entire call-in above!
Follow BMitch & Finlay on Twitter: @BMitchliveNBCS, @JPFinlayNBCS, and @BMitchandFinlay
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