DC Council is disconnected from the RFK stadium project commanders

Ashburn, go. – The return of commanders to Washington is finally official while the Council of the Columbia district voted for the measure – an expected result given its vote more than a month ago.

The Council voted 11-2 Wednesday to approve the RFK stadium project, allowing the team to return to the site it called home for more than three decades.

But a vote that had been considered a formality included last -minute requests which, according to commanders, President Mark Clouse could have endangered the agreement.

The council had already approved the measure during a vote of 9-3 on August 1. After this vote, the commanders were able to start planning their next steps to build a stadium on the site. However, earlier Wednesday, Clouse sent a letter to the President of the Council, Phil Mendelson, expressing his concerns about the new “last minute” requests – including an amendment which asked for a penalty of $ 10 million a year if they did not respond to the calendar to build an accommodation – which threatened the project.

This amendment, one of the 12 years, was finally rejected by the Council.

The mayor of DC Muriel Bowser, also in a letter to Mendelson, warned the council to impose “sanctions or additional requirements which could undermine the ability of the district to conclude the agreement”.

Clouse wrote in the letter that less than 24 hours before the final vote, the team was presented with a “list of last minute requests impassable and impassable by the members of the Council, which we simply cannot accept because it endangers the agreement”. Clouse said that the unions working on the project were not comfortable with the changes offered.

“Today is a historic day for DC, the organization of commanders and our fans,” said owner Josh Harris in a press release. “With the approval of the Council, we can now move forward on the RFK Transformer project which will bring sustainable economic growth for our city. This achievement would not have been possible without the dedication and collaboration between Mayor Bowser, President Mendelson, Council and the countless community, companies and working managers whose voices and contributions have contributed to shape the process at each stage of the path.

“We are deeply grateful for the warm return to the neighborhood and the center of the DMV, and we are impatient to officially bring the team to their spiritual home in 2030.”

Commanders will invest $ 2.7 billion – and will cover cost overruns – to build the stadium with 65,000 seats. The district will contribute $ 1 billion.

The team has long targeted 2030 while the year when a stadium must open, in large part, it could therefore host major events such as the Women’s World Cup in 2031.

Washington announced an agreement with the city to build a stadium on the site where the RFK stadium – its house from 1961 to 1996 – is still. The ownership of 174 acres will become a mixed installation with housing developments, a sports complex and retail stores. The stage will be in the form of a dome, and although they have not excluded a retractable roof, the cost of a – plus possible yields – will probably make this prohibitive, a source with knowledge of the situation indicated this summer.

Bowser told ESPN in July that the team could start the infrastructure work in the “first part of next year and get shovels in the ground this time next year”.

The old stadium has not yet been completely demolished. The site has become sentimental for Washington fans due to the success of the team for most of their time. The owner Josh Harris and some of his owners of minorities grew up in the region and talked about going to games in RFK.

The organization played in five Super Bowls from 1972 to 1992, winning three. During this section, Washington finished with a losing record only twice. RFK has become a separate advantage in the field, with its intimate framework and certain mobile stands that fans could bounce back.

But the former owner Jack Kent Cooke could not have a new stadium built in the district and paid for the current one to build in Maryland. Since the opening of the suburban stadium in 1997, the organization has posted only eight winning seasons and has reached the playoffs seven times.

Washington went 12-5 last season and reached the NFC championship match, where he lost to Philadelphia.