Dive Brief:
- The Washington, DC, convention and sports authority Events DC has announced preliminary plans that would turn parking lots around RFK Stadium into nearly $500 million of public recreation facilities, according to The Washington Post.
- The proposal would see the area around the stadium feature a 47,000-square foot market hall, multi-use athletic fields, a new memorial to Robert F. Kennedy and a 350,000-square foot indoor venue able to support a variety of sports and leisure activities.
- Although Events DC plans to fund the new facilities with a combination of hotel and tax revenue, money from its own coffers, private team and league leases and the city, the RFK site is owned by the federal government and would require multiagency approval in order to move forward with the plan.
Dive Insight:
The heart of the 190-acre site could still end up featuring a professional stadium or arena for the Washington Redskins, Wizards or Capitals, but Events DC said it’s pushing forward with the public sports complexes regardless, as one of the primary drivers behind the agency’s enthusiasm is public outcry over the lack of recreation areas, green space and sports fields in the neighborhood.
The Redskins relocated to FedEx Field in Landover, MD, in 1997, but the MLS team D.C. United still plays its matches at RFK and will continue to do so until its new stadium is ready in 2018 or 2019. After much back and forth between the soccer team and the city, the DC Zoning Commission gave its preliminary approval for the new stadium’s design in December and is expected to seal the deal at its February meeting.
As for the Redskins, the team reportedly has started making preparations for a move from FedEx Field to an as-of-yet unknown location. However, returning to the RFK site is something team owners have not ruled out. This could prove difficult, as the team has refused to change its name, a condition upon which DC city officials have insisted. In the meantime, the Redskins have hired Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) to design a new stadium, complete with a transparent facade, park-like picnic areas and a moat for kayakers.