The dream of a Commanders turn to RFK Stadium is one step closer to reality.
Wednesday night, the U.S. House of Representatives approved Bill H.R. 4984, the "D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act," by an overwhelming 348-55 vote, with 28 members of the House not voting.
The passing allows the Bill to move forward to the Senate where, if it passes, it would move to President Biden’s desk, and eventually allow DC to lease the RFK land for a term of 99 years, at no cost. You can read the full bill here, but this is the bill summary from the official House website:
This bill transfers the administration of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus from the National Park Service to the General Services Administration (GSA) to facilitate leasing the campus to the District of Columbia. The GSA must lease the campus to the District for no consideration. The District may lease the campus for (1) stadium use; (2) commercial and residential development; or (3) recreational facilities, open space, or public outdoor recreation use. If the District uses the campus for commercial and residential development, the bill sets forth additional requirements, including requiring the District to (1) ensure that development does not adversely impact National Park Service lands, (2) designate at least 30 percent of the campus as parks and open space, and (3) provide parking facilities to accommodate the development.
“Tonight’s vote was a significant step forward in our efforts to unlock the full potential of the RFK Campus – for our residents and visitors, the community, and DC’s comeback,” DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement.
Perhaps not shockingly, Maryland and Virginia’s delegations included 11 of the 55 nay votes – seven of Maryland’s eight Representatives and four of Virginia’s 11 – and two of the non-votes, which came from District-proximal lawmakers: Jamie Raskin (D, MD-8), whose district includes a large portion of Montgomery County along the D.C. border, and Jennifer Wexton (D, VA-10), whose district includes all or part of Rappahannock, Fauquier, Loudoun, Fairfax, and Prince William Counties.
However, per the Washington Post, Raskin had also intended to vote no in solidarity with his Maryland delegation, a stance Rep. Glenn Ivey (D, MD-4), whose district includes Prince George’s and part of Montgomery County, explained to the paper.
“Like other members of the Maryland delegation, I believe Prince George’s County in Maryland should be able to compete on a level playing field to keep the Washington Commanders,” Ivey told WaPo. “But this bill gives an unfair advantage to D.C. It’s most certainly not a level playing field when one interested jurisdiction receives a free transfer of federal government subsidized land.”