I know this sub has argued the merits of cities paying for sports stadiums. I'd love to hear peoples' thoughts on the specifics of this deal. As currently proposed (I'm sure there will be changes as it goes to the council):
- $2.7 billion from Commanders
- 5-6K housing units
- Retail, restaurants, and recreation construction around the stadium
- 30% of the land devoted to open parks space
- 30 acres devoted to a riparian barrier to protect the nearby river and wetlands
- 8K parking spaces (mostly in garages)
- 20-30 major events every year, like the NCAA Final Four or a Taylor Swift concert, on top of 200 other events like conventions and gatherings
- Stadium groundbreaking is anticipated for fall/winter 2026
- Target opening: Fall 2030
Costs to the city:
- $500 million in public funds, repurposing existing fees on businesses that helped pay Nats Park's debt, from the six-year capital budget (not the operating budget).
- Events DC's reserves would be tapped for $181 million to spend on parking facilities.
- D.C. will also kick in $202 million for additional site infrastructure, including utilities, roadways and a Metro study into whether to build a new rail station closer to the action.
- D.C. is also committing a future contribution of $175 million through stadium revenue bonds around 2032
What would you want your councilmember to argue for? How would you want this deal improved?
Posted by SimplyJared
3 Comments
Stop subsidizing billionaires. The only thing they should be paying for is infrastructure like they would for any other business. (And maybe for the parking garage if the city gets to make its investment back through sales) I get that attitude of “well if we don’t, another city will” but god damn I wish we would just outlaw it nationwide.
It’s a good deal as far as NFL stadiums go, but I’m still not sold on it as the best use of the RFK site.
I’d really like Josh Harris to lean on Congress to pass that stupid bill already to prevent the 1 billion dollar budget cut (of money that we *have already collected*) from coming to pass. Then I’d be a bit more positive about the deal.
This is going to be a huge boon for our city.
I’m really excited about the opportunities this presents for incentivizing the development of more housing, and boosting Metro revenue by making it the easiest method of getting to events at this new stadium.
Also just the simple pride of having our hometown NFL team play inside the District, instead of in a far-flung suburb
This is pro-Abundance and YIMBY-pilled, hell yeah