Politics gonna politic, especially here in DC when it comes to the RFK 2.0 deal and the opposition to it – but we’ve heard multiple members of the DC Council, including Chair Phil Mendelson, say they don’t think the RFK deal would pass the Council if it were brought up right now.
Not so fast, perhaps, as Councilwoman Brooke Pinto from Ward 2 – home of Capital One Arena and its half-billion dollar renovation outlay – joined G&D at Cap One on Wednesday to kibosh that notion.
And, to Mendelson’s point that the Mayor had not brought anything to the Council on Monday (which Mayor Bowser herself disagreed with), Pinto had a rebuttal there, too:
The Mayor executes deals, and is the initial proposer of the budget. That's how the budget process works every year,” Pinto said. “This has been a topic of interest to me, so I have involved myself, but it's very common that the Mayor is the principal negotiator for these things, and then we take a look at the deeper details and make sure that every Council member has an opportunity to review it thoroughly. I've reviewed the term sheet very thoroughly, and we'll be having hearings on it, hearing from the public, and hopefully get this deal accomplished.”
To Pinto, this is indeed the best use of the RFK land for the future of DC, contrary to what some of her other Council members believe.
“This site of 180 acres of land has been sitting vacant for decades. This is the surest and fastest way to make productive use in an extremely exciting way, but also a successful way for our city,” Pinto said. “To bring the Commanders home, we're thrilled to do so, but also to build 6,000 units of housing, a third of which will be affordable; to build hotels, and retail, and a sports complex for our kids so people don't have to take their families to play an hour or two away, as I speak to families about all the time. There are so many community benefits as part of this deal that is an extremely important investment for the city that residents have been calling for. I have not seen another offer on the table or another deal on the table that would be a better use of this land, so I think it's time that we move forward with the single largest private investment in our city's history.”
And to those that still think DC can do better with the site?
“I would say it's been 35 years and it hasn't come. This is the best deal that has ever come to us. This is a good deal for district residents, for visitors - not just sports fans, although it is fantastically exciting for that – but it accomplishes so many of our goals,” Pinto said. “Look, one or two Council members have said that they don't support this deal, but I think the vast majority of us are really excited. We understand how important this is going to be for our city, how galvanizing it will be for our city's spirit, to accept our residents and visitors from around the country and world to come to this site. There's no other stadium in the country where you can look out and see the water, see the National Monument, and really be part of the history of RFK and the nation's capital.”
Listen to Council Member Pinto's entire on-set visit with G&D - live at Capital One Arena in her home Ward - above!