Opinion | It’s time to bring the Commanders home

The RFK Stadium site in eastern D.C. offers one such opportunity. Redevelopment of the 190-acre riverfront campus has long been explored, but it has been stymied by a variety of factors, including a complicated lease agreement and differing opinions on how the site should be used.

RFK, once home to Washington’s proud football franchise, can serve as a bridge across the Anacostia River. A new owner and recent name change open a unique opportunity for D.C. to reclaim its National Football League legacy.

It is time to bring the team home.

D.C. is where the Commanders belong, and a new stadium on the RFK grounds can be an anchor for incredible economic opportunities for our residents, workers and small businesses. A redeveloped Commanders stadium at RFK would boost our hospitality industry and enhance engagement with our young people through sports.

The potential is worth our investment.

The lease for RFK between the city and the National Park Service runs through 2038 and stipulates that the area can be used only for a sports stadium and recreation. Unless D.C. buys the stadium and surrounding acres or modifies and extends the lease, both of which would require congressional authorization, RFK and the surrounding areas will continue to rapidly deteriorate and major opportunities will be lost.

Recent history shows that we all lose when D.C. does not control its own destiny. That’s why the D.C. Council, the mayor and the economic development community must be unified in bringing the Commanders home. Previous objections over the team’s name and soon-to-be-former ownership are now moot.

Our city is now presented with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to hit the refresh button in Northeast and Southeast D.C. A revitalized RFK campus would bring the Commanders home to D.C. for the first time in nearly three decades, and bring with it jobs, housing and business opportunities.

For lifelong Washingtonians, including me, the venue holds a cache of memories: watching Washington’s legendary football team dominate opponents on its way to Super Bowl titles, including with the first Black Super Bowl quarterback; watching the United States claim victory in World Cup soccer matches; and seeing the biggest names in entertainment perform in front of sellout crowds.

But RFK Stadium should be more than just a lockbox of stowed-away memories. It could usher in an era of new experiences for everyone who calls our city home.

A mixed-use entertainment district at the site would stimulate much-needed growth in the surrounding areas, which have been plagued by a lack of employment and an absence of commercial activity. Perhaps most exciting: A redeveloped RFK could include a tremendous amount of affordable housing without displacing current residents, and it could stretch across the river to spark growth on the southeast riverfront.

Some claim a new football stadium would cost the city too much, limit other development, especially housing, and bring too much traffic to the neighborhood. Let me be clear: Any new development must reflect the lessons learned from Audi Field and Nationals Park on the southwest waterfront. We can limit any cost to the city, mitigate concerns of neighbors and enhance neighborhood amenities. Our job is to ensure that this — and any major development — includes the appropriate safeguards to ensure all residents are positioned to thrive under any new investments.

We have the opportunity to learn from the successes and challenges of the major redevelopment around Nats Park, including Audi Field, and the Wharf. Each brought significant new tax revenue, helping support critical services for our most vulnerable residents. Between 2008 and 2018, property tax revenue around those areas tripled, helping generate more than $125 million each year to fund schools, infrastructure and other important government services.

This is an undertaking well worth pursuing. I will work with the mayor, my D.C. Council colleagues and Congress to acquire the land and reimagine the RFK campus as a mixed-use economic development that includes housing, community amenities and an indoor sports complex — and new jobs and opportunities for D.C. residents.