Some possibly positive news for the Commanders’ plans to build a stadium in Washington, DC.
The Washington Commanders will soon get a new owner. The NFL will vote on the Commanders’ sale from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris on July 20. NFL owners are anticipated to vote to confirm Harris as Washington’s next owner.
With Snyder out of the picture, building a new stadium at the existing RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., becomes a viable alternative. Unfortunately, there are obstacles. The RFK site is owned by the federal government. However, good news may be on the way, as the District intends to bring the Commanders back to D.C.
According to The Washington Post, Representative James Comer [R-Ky] is drafting legislation that would allow D.C. to develop the RFK site. It would not constitute a land sale, and a spokesman for the House Oversight Committee said the new legislation’s provisions had not to be completed. The office of Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C., is actively participating in the negotiations. Bowser has expressed a desire to see the NFL club return to the city.
According to the Post, even if the legislation is passed, the Commanders will need to overcome further obstacles before they can construct a new stadium at the RFK site. The D.C. City Council is divided on what to do with the property, while one member has stated publicly that he believes the Commanders should return to Washington.
“I think we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity with the RFK site to re-imagine it,” Ward 5 Councilman Kenyon McDuffie told WUSA 9, Washington.
If the measure is passed, Washington might become the frontrunner for a new Commanders’ stadium, beating out Maryland and Virginia.