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Mayor Muriel Bowser said a new stadium could be built in 2-2.5 years.
After D.C. regained long term control of the RFK site in a stunning move early Saturday morning by the Senate, Bowser confirmed she met with Commander’s owner Josh Harris over the weekend about the team’s potential return to the city.
“I’m happy for a lot of reasons this morning,” Bowser said at a ribbon cutting for a new community center in Southeast, D.C.
Bowser donned Washington Commanders burgundy and gold from head to two two at the robbon cutting, just days after Congress passed legislation giving the District long term control of the RFK site.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made official at 1:14 a.m. in a near empty Senate Chamber through a process known as “unanimous consent” or UC. Only Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) was in attendance for procedural reasons.
“It wasn't a guaranteed thing,” Bowser said. “Again, the Senate processes allow any one member to object in the case of the UC as they call it. And so, we were waiting to make sure it happened.”
That’s likely the reason so few outside a small inner circle knew the option was in play after RFK was stripped from the government funding bill late last week.
The mayor said she attended Sunday’s Commanders game, and met with owner Josh Harris. Bowser said her team has already begun working on a stadium and financing proposal to bring to the DC Council, which will ultimately have to approve any plans.
Before D.C. secured control of the RFK site, members of the Commanders ownership team projected it could be 2030 before the team moves into a new stadium, wherever it is.
But on Monday, Bowser appeared much more optimistic than that.
“I just think if we're able to do what we think we could do in DC, I think it'll take 2 years to construct it,” Bowser said. “And then there are other things, entitlements and all of the things, that has to get done in our conversations with the community. All of those things have to happen first, but I think they could probably build it in two years, maybe two and a half years.”
If that timeline holds, fans could be looking at the team playing in a new DC Stadium for the 2028-2029 football season-- a full two years before some fans were expecting.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was also at the Commanders game Sunday, and is still working to keep the team with a new stadium in Prince George's County.
But Moore has also signed an agreement with the Commanders that ensures the team will tear down Northwest Stadium in a timely manner if the team leaves, and redevelop the site with a project of equal economic impact of the current stadium.
Virginia seems to have faded to the background of talks abut future stadium locales.
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