DC Residents Weigh Future of RFK Stadium

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — DC Residents will weigh in on the future of RFK stadium during a community meeting on Thursday evening with DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson.

The once home of Washington’s football team, the stadium has sat vacant for years, hosting events occasionally.

The results from an October survey found that 67 percent of people do not want a new stadium at the RFK site. Instead, most respondents said they want to see a park or sports and recreation complex in its place.

Over 2,000 residents were surveyed spanning eight neighborhoods.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has been pushing for a new stadium at the RFK site, as well as new housing and retail units.

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Last September, the House Oversight Committee advanced a bill that would give the District full control of RFK stadium.

Some of the key concerns among residents include quality of life for those living in the area, citing problems like wall-to-wall traffic, excessive noise, and public drunkenness following events at RFK as top concerns.

Residents also want to know how a redevelopment project at RFK will be funded when the City claims there are not enough in its coffers to fund pressing needs for District residents.

“I don’t want to stadium, like, I don’t want a football team there,” said resident Anthony Jamison. “I’d like to see, maybe some storefronts, something to, you know, provide the community around here with some things to do, some activities, places to go.”

The group, Friends of Kingman Park, will host the community meeting at St. Benedict the Moor located at 320 21st. Street NE.

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