It’s official. D.C. will have its NFL team in its backyard again.
In an 11-2 vote, the D.C. City Council gave second and final approval for a $3.8 billion project that not only includes the building of a new Washington Commanders stadium on the old RFK Stadium site, which the organization inhabited from 1961-96, but also the development of the surrounding area, as reported Wednesday night by The Athletic.
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The Commanders are targeting 2030 for when they will debut their new stadium.
“Today is a historic day for D.C., the Commanders organization and our fans,” Commanders owner Josh Harris said in a statement Wednesday. “With the Council’s approval, we can now move forward on the transformative RFK project that will bring lasting economic growth for our city. This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and collaboration between Mayor Bowser, Chairman Mendelson, the Council and the countless community, business and labor leaders whose voices and input helped shape the process every step of the way.
“We are deeply grateful for the warm return to the District and the center of the DMV, and look forward to officially bringing the team back to its spiritual home in 2030.”
The Commanders are pouring in a $2.7 billion investment — to go along with the District’s $1 billion contribution — to build the 65,000-seat domed stadium, according to ESPN.
The project, commonly known as the RFK Stadium Project, will additionally help transform nearby neighborhoods among the 174-acre property with the construction of 5,000 to 6,000 housing units for city residents, at least 30% of which is slated to be affordable housing, as well as dining and entertainment areas.
The Council’s first approval of the project came back on Aug. 1, thanks to a 9-3 vote that allowed the Commanders to continue their development plans.
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But Wednesday, hours before the Council’s second vote on the project, Commanders president Mark Clouse sent a letter to Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and other members of the D.C. Council, claiming they presented the team “a list of unworkable and impractical new last-minute demands” Clouse said the Commanders couldn’t agree to.
Of the demands Clouse alluded to in his letter was an amendment designed to impose a $10 million penalty per year if the Commanders didn’t follow the proposed housing construction timeline, per ESPN, which reported that the amendment was ultimately rejected by the Council.
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The old RFK Stadium still sits where it used to when Washington authored three Super Bowl seasons: one in 1982, another in 1987 and one more in 1991.
Since moving from that site, the organization has played at a venue in Landover, Maryland, that is now called Northwest Stadium. The Commanders made their first NFC championship appearance since 1991 this past season, with Harris swiftly getting the franchise out of the hole ex-owner Daniel Snyder dug for the Commanders and quarterback Jayden Daniels electrifying the fan base.
