DC Council fails to approve RFK Stadium deal before summer recess
DC Council fails to vote on RFK Stadium deal before deadline
A key date for the deal to get the Washington Commanders back to D.C. has come and gone. Tuesday was the last day the team and District could negotiate exclusively with one another. This means the team could now potentially look for a new home elsewhere.
WASHINGTON - A key date for the deal to get the Washington Commanders back to D.C. has come and gone.
Tuesday was the last day the team and the District could negotiate exclusively with one another. This means the team could now potentially look for a new home elsewhere.
What we know:
D.C. Council started its summer recess on Tuesday but all eyes are on their next steps as there are indications that they’ll work on the RFK Stadium deal through parts of their break.
The Council and Mayor Muriel Bowser must sign off on the deal with the team, and Council is still weeks away from a vote.
Council Chair Phil Mendelson says he continues to have productive, constructive and pleasant conversations with the Washington Commanders, and he believes the Council wants to get to a ‘yes' on this.
The Council indicated that by voting to set aside money in next year’s budget to fund the project.
But according to a letter sealing the team’s initial agreement with the D.C. government, they could potentially begin to look elsewhere now that July 15 went by without a deal.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has consistently reiterated the need for urgency to get a deal done, concerned about any delays.
Big picture view:
When asked on Tuesday, Maryland Governor Wes Moore said he’s stayed out of D.C. and the Commander’s conversation and says his sole commitment is improving the Landover site where the current stadium sits.
FOX 5 also reached out to the office of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, but we have not yet heard back.
FOX 5 also spoke with two outside experts on these types of deals. Both say that a few months of delays will not kill this deal, but saying council would need to keep up the pace on this if a deal were to happen.
John Boyd, who runs the Boyd Company—a corporate site selection research and advising company—says weeks of delays can turn into months for a project this large and complicated.
"This could potentially be a slippery slope that could potentially complicate this deal, maybe even put this deal in peril. Timing is of the essence, here to meet that 2030 deadline that the team has stated wants to do," Boyd said.
What's next:
Council will evaluate three reports on the Mayor and team’s agreement for the next two weeks, then hold public hearings at the end of this month.
Council also just unanimously approved a rule change that would allow bill markups during their August recess, and while it would be unusual, Phil Mendelson hasn’t ruled out holding a council meeting during recess to vote on a stadium bill.
FOX 5 reached out to the team today and did not hear back.