Residents of Kingman Park say they’re concerned about a new RFK Stadium: concerned about pollution from the long-neglected site; concerned about losing skate parks in favor of parking lots; concerned that their most pressing needs are being ignored in service of a home for the Washington Commanders.
Residents told The Washington Times that even a meeting with District Mayor Muriel Bowser last week couldn’t erase their concerns.
While the neighborhood frets over what an RFK Stadium redevelopment looks like, the mayor’s message has been consistent. The Commanders, the District and the people who live nearby — everybody — can “have it all.”
The mayor has touted parks for local athletes, promised affordable housing for people in need and dangled a ritzy new NFL arena to lure the Commanders back to the city.
Ms. Bowser first talked about “having it all” when she unveiled the popular Fields at RFK in 2018. The sentiment popped up again last month when the city officially gained control of the site as the federal government gave the District a 99-year lease.
“With more than 170 acres of land, we can do it all — deliver housing, economic opportunity, green space, recreation, sports and more,” the mayor said.
But some residents question the mayor’s optimism, including Neighborhood Commissioner Ebony Payne, a longtime Kingman Park resident who lives near the stadium site.
Of the 174-acre campus, only 100 acres will be eligible for new developments, whether that’s a stadium for the Washington Commanders or a neighborhood of affordable housing.
Thirty-two acres along the Anacostia River waterfront are protected by federal legislation, which also sets aside another 42 acres for parks and green spaces.
“The math doesn’t add up; that’s still where I’m at,” Ms. Payne said.
Officials tried to address the skepticism at last week’s meeting at Eastern High School, blocks from the rusting former home of the NFL team then known as the Redskins.
Ms. Bowser promised that the city would not invoke eminent domain for any RFK-related redevelopment. The Fields at RFK would also be preserved under her proposal, which would bring a recreation center and “sportsplex” to the neighborhood along with affordable housing.
“We’re going to develop 177 acres there,” she said. “It’s going to be with an NFL stadium or without, but we’re going to develop it. We need to develop it.”
Community concerns
As the likelihood of an NFL stadium at the site grows, an increasingly clear divide has emerged. On one side are the Kingman Park residents, who are apprehensive about the change. On the other side, long-time Commanders fans from around the region long to see the franchise return to the District.
Kingman Park residents aren’t necessarily opposed to the stadium, but it’s far from a priority. To suburban fans and Ms. Bowser, affordable housing is nice, but it isn’t the draw that a new home for the Washington Commanders would be.
Ms. Bowser has said that bringing the Commanders back to the District is a priority for her administration. With the 99-year lease from the federal government, that dream is closer to reality.
“We have great neighborhoods, great transportation and we can invite the world to our city, but the fact is, until we have a modern stadium, we will not be able to host events that the world is used to,” Bowser said at last week’s meeting. “Including the World Cup, including a Super Bowl, and yes, Beyonce and Taylor Swift.”
But despite the mayor’s reassurances about the plans, Kingman Park residents are worried. Jeremy Stettin wonders if the city will preserve his beloved Maloof Skate Park, where he teaches classes to local kids.
“I’m really concerned that since there are larger interests at play, if we don’t make a scene, we won’t be heard,” Stettin said.
Mr. Stetin and others say the city has been reticent to make clear commitments to residents regarding the site.
The Fields at RFK aren’t going anywhere, but the mayor couldn’t say the same for the skate park or the adjacent site that hosts DC Vaults’ pole vaulters.
“We’re still very apprehensive. We’ve had no kind of guarantee,” Stettin said, though he noted that the mayor said she’d need to assess the plan. “The proof is in the pudding. They’ve done nothing to this point.”
Environmental worries
A healthy environment is also front of mind as the city begins a nearly two-year demolition process at the rusting old stadium.
Many cities across the country have found an efficient way to handle their once-prized arenas: Blow them up.
More specifically, subject them to a controlled implosion.
But the ever-stubborn RFK Stadium isn’t eligible for that fate. The nearby residential homes, Metro lines and waterways eliminated in an implosion complicate that option, according to a National Park Service assessment.
Instead, the District has started tearing the stadium down piecemeal. Workers had already removed hazardous materials during a previous stage of demolition.
Residents like Ms. Payne have longer-term concerns, though. There hasn’t been an in-depth environmental report on the RFK Stadium land since 1993, when former Commanders owner Jack Kent Cooke considered building a new arena on the site.
That report found unsafe levels of lead in the soil that would be potentially harmful to residents and construction workers. There has not been a similar analysis of the land since 1993.
“The environmental concerns are a top issue, next to traffic and parking,” Ms. Payne said.
Parking panic
Most urban football stadiums work with nearby commercial areas to accommodate additional parking. M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, is a prime example of an urban stadium with conveniently shared parking. But parking isn’t easy to find in the largely residential Kingman Park.
The mayor’s proposal would use a pair of parking garages to provide up to 12,000 parking spaces for a 65,000-seat venue.
Those numbers don’t hold up to scrutiny, according to Ms. Payne.
The idea of only adding 12,000 parking spaces appeals to residents who are worried about traffic and parking infrastructure, but it doesn’t align with the mayor’s goal to host a Super Bowl.
The NFL reportedly requires at least 35,000 parking spaces and 70,000 seats for Super Bowl venues.
“Your goal is to bring the Super Bowl, and the NFL has these requirements that don’t match what we’re being told is the current plan,” Ms. Payne said. “That really doesn’t assuage those kinds of concerns.”
The funding issue also remains. Ms. Bowser controversially noted that she might suggest using taxpayer dollars to fund construction.
That idea didn’t sit well with Kingman Park residents who have been told there isn’t enough money for public safety, parking enforcement or upkeep at the local skate park.
“Every dollar that we’re spending on a stadium is money that’s not going to schools and other resources that the community could use,” Ms. Payne said.
Nothing is set in stone just yet. The Commanders haven’t committed to moving back to the District, instead openly courting offers from Virginia and Maryland.
Kingman Park residents are still waiting for their chance to sit down with the franchise’s officials.
Representatives from the Commanders were set to attend Thursday night’s Friends of Kingman Park meeting but delayed their visit indefinitely so they could better prepare to answer questions.
But the clock is ticking. Commanders owner Josh Harris has said he wants to open a new stadium in time for the 2030 season.
Ms. Bowser’s development plans will need to be approved by the city council, but the mayor appears to be building momentum for the new RFK Stadium.
“I had multiple people say to me, ‘I thought we had a say in whether the stadium is going to come or not.’ It’s become apparent to people that we do not,” Ms. Payne said, noting that she was glad to hear the mayor acknowledge the fields and a recreation center. “But that doesn’t make up for the fact that people don’t want to live next to a stadium.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.