RFK land is back under DC control, and it’s likely that talks are already underway between the city and the Commanders’ brass about returning the franchise to its roots with a new stadium there.
But if it is, Josh Harris certainly isn’t giving any hints at his preferred location, citing only surveys – which he has cited before in saying DC is the most viable option – as one of the bases for the decision.
“As I think everyone knows, we’re considering multiple jurisdictions, but those areas need help and improvement, so that has to be a part of it, and the cities themselves need to have their own input as to what they want. These are political processes and they matter to the neighborhoods and greater areas, and we’re in the middle of that,” Harris said Monday in his end-of-season press conference. “The DMV is three jurisdictions, and turns out DC’s in the middle. Plus, because of the history, it’s a location that when we do surveys, is the most acceptable – but a lot of things go into this. We play in Maryland now and have an amazing relationship with then, but it’s not just our decision; it’s about the states and DC themselves, too. We have a lot of dialogue and we’re going to keep pushing forward. We’ll be transparent what the surveys say, and obviously DC is aligned with the history and happens to be the easiest place for a number of fans to get to, but there’s a lot of support in Virginia and Maryland, too.”
One thing he did want to clear up, though, is that all the lobbying he was doing to get DC back control of the RFK land wasn’t a power play towards an end – but, simply, a means to get DC to the table to negotiate as a potential partner.
“Maryland and Gov. Moore have been amazing, and what we were trying to do was get DC to the table – they weren’t because they didn’t have control of the land. What we wanted to do, and accomplished, was get DC control of the land, but now they have to decide what they want to do with the land,” Harris said. “Gov. Moore was incredible; we went to him and said we wanted DC at the table, and he was on board for that, but he wanted to make sure Maryland was taken care of if we went in that direction ultimately. We were going to do that anyway, but nothing has been decided and we’re going to go down both paths at one. Now we know the multitude of specifics that we need to figure out when you’re doing something like this, and DC has to decide what they want to do.”
What would become of the site in Landover if the Commanders left was thought of as, and clearly was, a big hang-up, and it seems clear that wherever they end up, Harris has a general idea that it’s not just going to be FedEx 2.0 – aka a giant stadium with nothing around it.
“These are complicated things with zoning and real estate and site planning, so it’s an important part of it all, but we have a responsibility. When a city takes land and utilizes it for a stadium, they’re taking it away from other things they could do,” Harris said. “So, it’s our responsibility to make it an amazing economic development opportunity for where it is and create a lot of jobs and help that area.”
All in all, though, there is one thing Harris will be sure to get in his next stadium deal: a home that Commanders fans can be proud of.
“For me personally, I grew up with a great stadium, and understand what it’s like to play in a stadium where it’s hard for the visiting team to play,” Harris said. “I’ve been to every game the last two years, and I see differences. The primary objective is to build a stadium we’re going go win in, and there’s all kinds of decisions that go into that, but I start with we need to have a great place where our fans can show up, and as much as possible, we want that to be an advantage to our team winning on the field.”
And, one other thing is clear: this process isn’t going to be rushed by this season’s success, but they would like to get it going as soon as possible.
“Any time you win on the field, and we’ve all now experienced it – it was the reawakening of Washington football,” Harris said. “There are lots of people that grew up with the team I grew up with, and any time you get that, the population at large is supportive, so there’s no question there’s some momentum. We hope to capitalize on it, but we’re in dialogue with Washington and Maryland, and what they want to do is a big part of it also. Every indication is everyone is supportive, and we’re going to try to move forward as fast as possible.”