Some DC Residents Object to New Redskins Stadium

Some D.C. residents are opposing D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s move to give the site of RFK Stadium to the Washington Redskins. Daniel Snyder, the owner of Redskins, has been in touch with the District, Republican lawmakers in Congress and the Trump administration to gain control of the RFK stadium, according to a report by the Washington Post. The report stated that the Redskins, together with local and federal officials, have been working to extend the lease held by the city over the 190-acre RFK site, enabling them to make a new stadium and other business developments. Although RFK is a federal land, the District controls it based on a lease signed with the National Park Service, which expires in 20 years. The lease will be extended if a provision is passed by the Congress, as part of a comprehensive spending bill. “Well, I can tell you that we have been working on getting control of federal lands in the District since I have been mayor and we are continuing to stay focused on it. Obviously, RFK is important to us because we are no longer using the stadium itself because our team [D.C. United] has moved to Buzzard Point. We want to make sure we have control of the land for another 99 years at least,” said Bowser. But the residents living in the neighborhood of RFK are opposing the new stadium, accusing the mayor of going behind their backs. “The mayor has never been here. The mayor has never stepped foot in Hill East and said to neighbors, ‘What do you think about this? What are your plans? What are your thoughts? Do you like the idea? Do you want the Redskins to come?’ She has never done that before,” said ANC commissioner Denise Krepp. Francis Campbell, who has lived in Hill East for 41 years, called it “a slap in the face to Washingtonanians”. “I think it’s a slap in the face to all of us who have worked so hard to try to get something positive done with the Reservation 13 property … Angers me beyond belief,” said Campbell. “I can’t tell you how irritated and frustrated I am with this because again, this is an established neighborhood. There is a residential neighborhood and it’s people who have gone through the worst times, and there has been no consideration for any of it.” Charles Allen, D.C. Ward 6 Council member, is also against the idea of a new Redskins stadium. “Most people really disagree with the decision to put an NFL stadium at that site. They certainly want to see investments by the city, they certainly want to see an improved area,” said Allen. According to the D.C. Mayor’s Office, a letter was dispatched by the mayor to President Donald J. Trump in March 2017 in which the president was asked to let D.C. gain control of the RFK site, Franklin Park and three golf courses.