What’s the future of the Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy (RFK) stadium site?
A meeting to discuss this matter was held on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Eastern High School in Washington, D.C.
A new website has been launched to present the matter to the public at https://ourrfk.dc.gov/.
The site’s summary statement begins: “The District now has control of the RFK campus, the largest unused tract of land in the District. These 174 acres can now be transformed into a vibrant hub of housing, world-class recreational facilities, green spaces, and economic opportunities for District residents and visitors alike.”
Could the Washington NFL franchise (formerly Redskins), now the Commanders, be returning to the historic part of the city where they won five NFC Championships and three Super Bowls. The Redskins played at RFK from the 1961 to 1996 seasons.
Of course, there will be very energetic residents of the city who will come down on both sides of the aisle on this one. Both sides were welcomed to attend the meeting in the high school auditorium, where they could voice their concerns or their support, whichever it may be for them.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and some city representatives were scheduled to attend, and a presentation was going to be included in the docket, permitting the vision of the project to be publicly demonstrated.
Commanders owner Josh Harris has previously discussed how he himself decades ago was many times at the stadium as a fan of those very successful Redskins teams, so he is quite aware of what a good NFL team can mean for the city’s pride.
On this day in 1983, John Riggins rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns, while Darryl Grant returned an interception 10 yards for a touchdown to seal the Redskins 31-17 win over the Cowboys in the 1982 NFC Championship Game at RFK Stadium.#HTTR #WashingtonFootball pic.twitter.com/qanNLHzKnW
— David Menassé (@Frekiwolf) January 22, 2021
Harris recently said, “It is our responsibility to make this an amazing economic development opportunity, for where it is, it can create a lot of jobs and help that area.”
What happens to the surrounding land of the RFK site? This may be where the most heat will come in future debates because certainly not everyone will get what they want out of the land. There will have to be compromises made and a spirit of working together.