U.S. House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) introduced a bill that would allow D.C. to lease the RFK Stadium site from the federal government for another 99 years.
That would green light a mixed-use development including housing, commercial development and possibly a new stadium for the Washington Commanders.
“There’s really only one place for the team in this region,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “I mean, I know, I’ve been a little coy, but ... there’s only one choice.”
The new lease is the critical first step, she said.
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“We’re really focused on getting control of the land, because without control of the land … there won’t be any investment for the city,” Bowser said.
She did not provide specifics on how stadium construction would be financed.
Bowser announced the creation of a sports team within her economic development department to study funding options to attract teams like the Washington Commanders as well as keep existing professional sports teams in the District. The mayor plans to wait for the group’s report before talking too much about financing.
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“We don’t have the money,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said.
He said he would not oppose housing and commercial development. As for a stadium: “They come to the District, great. If they want to build a stadium on their nickel, fantastic ... If they want us to pay for it or some part of it, I don’t know where the money is.”
Meanwhile, the Washington Nationals and Monumental Sports, which owns the Wizards, Capitals and Mystics, are asking the D.C. government to pay for millions of dollars in improvements and repairs to their venues.
Monumental owns Capital One Arena, which opened in 1997 and is one of the oldest NBA/NHL venues in the country, but D.C. owns the land. Monumental’s lease goes until 2047, but if it pays off the bond financing, it can get out in 2027, so owner Ted Leonsis has some leverage and is being courted to move his teams to Virginia.
D.C. owns Nationals Park, which cost taxpayers $611 million to build and is funded mostly through a baseball tax on large businesses. That tax is set to expire once the stadium is paid off.
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