President Joe Biden signed a bill that gives D.C. control of the RFK Stadium site, paving the way for a possible new stadium to bring the Washington Commanders back to the District.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser attended the signing at the White House, as did Commanders owner Josh Harris.
“We’ve worked really hard for RFK, and now what this means, with the president’s signature, is we have the opportunity to bring back to life 177 acres in the middle of Washington, D.C.,” Bowser said.
The U.S. Senate passed the standalone bill at the last minute in December after it was removed from Congress' slimmed-down, short-term spending bill as lawmakers raced to pass it before a government shutdown.
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Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris praised the bill, saying in a statement: "We are extremely grateful that our elected officials have come together on a bipartisan basis to give Washington D.C. the opportunity to decide on the future of the RFK stadium site. This bill will create an even playing field so that all potential future locations for the home of the Washington Commanders can be fairly considered and give our franchise the opportunity to provide the best experience for all of our fans."
Gov. Wes Moore spoke called the bill was the "right decision" and said it was the fastest, most efficient way of increasing the fan experience. Because of the bill, Moore said he was excited to be able to compete to keep the Commanders in Maryland.
"No matter what, Maryland is going to be okay and that was our number one priority," Moore said. "Wherever the Washington Commanders end up, whether it's where they should be --- in Maryland --- or even if they go to Washington D.C., we'd be perfectly fine with that. But it's important for people to know that the future of this area, no matter what is going to be better than what it is right now," Moore said.
The Commanders are considering locations in the District, Maryland and Virginia to build a stadium in the coming years. Its lease at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, runs through 2027, and Harris called 2030 a “reasonable target” for a new one.
The team played at RFK Stadium two miles east of the Capitol from 1961 to 1996 before moving to Maryland. Harris and several co-owners, including Mitch Rales and Mark Ein, grew up as Washington football fans during that era, which included the glory days of three Super Bowl championships between 1982 and 1991.
The bill transfers administrative jurisdiction of the RFK site from the Secretary of the Interior to the D.C. government. While the federal government will still own the land, D.C. will be able to redevelop it for a stadium, commercial and residential development and other public purposes, according to the office of U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, who introduced the bill.
"The Senate's passage of the D.C. RFK Stadium Campus Revitalization Act is a historic moment for our nation's capital," Comer said in a statement last month. "If Congress failed to act today, this decaying land in Washington would continue to cost taxpayers a fortune to maintain. Revitalizing this RFK Memorial Stadium site has been a top economic priority for the city, and I am proud to have partnered with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to get this bill across the finish line and to the President's desk."
The U.S. House passed the bill in February.
Now, Bowser will need negotiate a deal with the D.C. Council and convince the Commanders that D.C. is the best option for the team going forward.
