We know that DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has some reservations about the Commanders’ deal with DC to return to RFK, as he told Grant & Danny again Monday, and another Council member, Brianne K. Nadeau, posted on X Monday that she, too, is a no right now.
Make that three, as Ward 6 Councilman Charles Allen joined G&D, as he has a few times in the past, to discuss the matter, and he, too, believes this would not pass right now as is.
Part of the issue Allen has is parking – and not in the way fans do, when it comes to spots to tailgate, but in both the amount and type of what’s being discussed, and how that aesthetic would go over.
And even if things are re-worked, Allen’s crunching the numbers as is, and even though he was a strong supporter of the subsidy for Cap One Arena, this is just not the right deal.
“I’ve always had the same answer: I don’t think that a stadium is the best answer to revitalize that neighborhood – but now we’re past that theoretical, we have an actual proposal in front of us,” Allen said. “What gives me a lot of pause right now is this would be the second-largest public subsidy of a public stadium since 2009 at $1.2 billion of taxpayer money, and I don't think it’s a good deal. If this is going to happen, we’ve got a lot of work to do to get this to be a much better deal for the District, and frankly, for the fans. I was a huge proponent of Cap One, because an arena generates year-round activity – and that’s just not what you’re going to see with an NFL stadium.”
Listen to Councilman Allen’s entire visit with Grant & Danny above!