Commanders RFK deal receives pushback from some DC residents, lawmakers
Commanders RFK deal receives pushback from some DC lawmakers
There’s excitement surrounding the announcement that the Commanders could be coming back to D.C. but there’s also some people against a new stadium at RFK, from residents and some members of council.
WASHINGTON - There’s excitement surrounding the announcement that the Commanders could be coming back to D.C. but there’s also some people against a new stadium at RFK, from residents and some members of council.
The community group ‘Homes Not Stadium’ says RFK is better without the Commanders. They’ve always been against the thought of the team coming back and now that an official announcement has been made, they’re mobilizing.
What they're saying:
"This is a scam," Kris Furnish said. "It only creates low-wage seasonable jobs, we get overpriced hot dogs, traffic pollution noise."
Furnish is the organizer of the group and isn’t sold on the plan for the new Commanders Stadium at RFK that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says will generate billions in revenue and create thousands of jobs.
"We could use that money for housing units. We can use that money for public safety," D.C. resident Afenia Evans said.
The project would cost the Washington Commanders about $2.7 billion and the city will dish out a little over $1 billion for infrastructure.
"I think it’s a bad deal for the city. It’s a bad deal for taxpayers," Ward 6 councilmember Charles Allen said.
As the deal stands now, Allen says it’s a "no vote" for him.
"Putting a large structure that’s going to cost over a billion dollars that is going to sit dark for more than 90 percent of the year? I would rather build housing, businesses, parks, grocery stores," Allen said.
The other side:
Bowser's plan for the area around the stadium, which is about 160 acres, includes space for housing, a rec center, as well as a business and entertainment District.
"We need to have more than the games, but also this is the fact — in world-class cities, we have to be able to attract the premier events," Bowser said.
Some D.C. residents tell FOX 5 they see the stadium as a win.
"You can bring a Beyonce, you can bring a Bruno Mars, you can bring a Taylor Swift. When you have these multi-million dollar venues, that tells me that this is going to be more than just football and that it can pay for itself in five years," Francis Campbell said.
The final say for this stadium project is up to city council. Councilmember Allen says the majority of his colleagues aren’t in favor of the current proposal on the table but he’s open to having a conversation about the terms.