RFK stadium moves forward, but new housing could be delayed until 2040s

RFK Stadium housing could be delayed to 2040

Housing around RFK Stadium could face delays until the 2040s.

WASHINGTON - Less than a week after the D.C. Council gave final approval to a new Commanders stadium at the RFK site, plans to build a surrounding neighborhood may be facing unexpected delays.

What we know:

While the $3.7 billion stadium project is moving ahead, D.C. officials have confirmed that the mixed-use housing and retail development planned around it will not open at the same time. Originally billed as more than just a stadium, the broader RFK redevelopment project includes housing, retail stores, and public community spaces intended to create a year-round neighborhood.

The development plan calls for 6,000 new homes spread across three districts, with 30% of those units marked as affordable. However, while the stadium is expected to open in 2030, the housing component may not be fully completed until sometime between 2040 and 2043.

One reason for the delay is zoning. Although D.C. Council members discussed the idea of waiving zoning approvals to fast-track the housing phase, the city ultimately determined that doing so would violate the law.

"We’d wanted to exempt the first phase from zoning, but we got a legal opinion that that was not permitted," said Deputy Mayor Nina Albert, who oversees planning and economic development. "That’s in fact why there’s a natural lag for the mixed-use development."

Albert added that the housing and retail components were always planned to roll out in phases. "The mixed-use development is going to be phased in over time, because a mixed-use development has to be absorbed by the market," she said. "It’s not like everything all at once — it was always going to be stadium first."

In a statement to FOX 5, the Washington Commanders acknowledged the delay but emphasized that the timeline is largely out of their hands.

"This is a government zoning process that we are required to adhere to," the team wrote. "While we don’t control these zoning processes, we’re moving forward as quickly and efficiently as possible within the governmental parameters."

Local perspective:

Local residents interviewed near RFK said they weren’t surprised by the decision to prioritize the stadium and said the long-term benefits of the project outweigh the delays.

"I personally don’t see a problem," one resident said. "It’s going to generate business for the local people living close to the stadium."

Another added, "The housing will be wonderful so people can have affordable housing and live right here — and maybe work right there."

"It’s going to bring in a lot of positive things for the neighborhood — the houses, the businesses, all of it," a third resident said.

Bowser administration officials maintain that their goal has always been to finish the stadium first. They described the zoning decision not as a setback, but as a return to the project's original timeline — rather than accelerating it through legal shortcuts.