D.C. unveils sweeping master plan for Commanders stadium and RFK campus

Washington, D.C. has released its most detailed public blueprint yet for the RFK campus, laying out a mixed-use redevelopment centered on a new Commanders stadium and thousands of homes.

The plan, released June 30, covers 190 acres and breaks the long-underused site into six districts. It gives the clearest look so far at how the District wants the campus to evolve from a former stadium property into a neighborhood with housing, recreation space, river access and major public investment.

The new framework does not replace the earlier stadium deal. Instead, it builds on the agreement the city reached with the Commanders in 2025 and turns it into a broader land-use vision for one of Washington’s largest redevelopment sites.

A campus built around a stadium

At the center of the plan is a 65,000-seat stadium for the Washington Commanders, with completion targeted for fall 2030.

That stadium anchors the redevelopment sequence and shapes the rest of the site layout. The District’s plan shows how the surrounding land could be divided into a Stadium District, Plaza District, Riverfront District, Kingman Commons, Recreation District and Anacostia Commons.

Axios, which first reported the plan, said the broader redevelopment could add 5,000 to 6,500 homes and generate about $4 billion in tax revenue over 30 years. The publication also described the plan as a $3.7 billion master plan, reflecting the way project totals have varied depending on what costs are included.

The RFK campus has long been viewed as a major redevelopment opportunity because of its size, riverfront location and proximity to downtown. The June 30 release makes clear that city officials intend to pair the team’s return with a broader neighborhood buildout rather than a stadium-only project.

What each district would do

The Plaza District is expected to carry much of the housing load in the plan. Axios reported that it would include about 2,200 homes, making it one of the most important pieces of the city’s housing strategy for the site.

Kingman Commons is another major residential area in the plan. Axios said it would include up to 1,300 homes along with a SportsPlex, adding both housing and recreation uses to the campus.

The Recreation District would preserve the Fields at RFK while converting surface parking into recreation facilities. That element is significant because it keeps a recognizable public-use part of the site while reworking land that is currently dominated by parking.

The Anacostia Commons is designed to reconnect the campus to the river. According to Axios, that district would add river access features including a trail, a boardwalk and wildlife-viewing areas.

The plan also includes a Riverfront District and a Stadium District, rounding out a campus layout that mixes sports, housing, open space and access to the Anacostia waterfront.

How the project developed

The June 30 master plan follows a series of earlier milestones that moved the stadium project forward.

On April 28, 2025, the Associated Press reported that D.C. and the Commanders had agreed to build a new stadium at the RFK site as part of a nearly $4 billion project. The team later framed the deal as a historic move to bring the franchise back to the city.

On September 17, 2025, AP reported that the D.C. Council gave final approval to the RFK stadium deal. That approval included a long-term redevelopment framework and a financing split that put the Commanders’ contribution at $2.7 billion and the city’s at about $1.1 billion.

The new plan does not appear to reopen that basic agreement. Instead, it adds a more detailed land-use map for how the surrounding 180-acre-plus campus could be organized around the stadium and its supporting districts.

Why the stakes are high

The RFK site is one of the city’s most consequential real estate opportunities. A project of this scale affects housing supply, public finance, transportation planning, neighborhood access and the future of a major riverfront corridor.

Those issues are likely to keep the plan under scrutiny from the D.C. Council, neighborhood groups and residents concerned about affordability, traffic and whether the project delivers public benefits beyond the stadium itself.

Housing has been a central issue from the start. The new plan’s estimate of 5,000 to 6,500 homes is slightly higher than some earlier reporting, which put the figure closer to 5,000 to 6,000 units. That range suggests the exact mix may still be evolving as the project advances.

The plan also carries broader financial implications. A projected $4 billion in tax revenue over 30 years would make the redevelopment an important source of future public receipts if the city’s assumptions hold.

What still needs to be decided

Even with the June 30 release, several key questions remain open. City officials have not yet published the full master plan document with formal district maps and phasing details.

It is also unclear whether the June 30 version changes the affordability mix or the development timeline that had already been discussed in 2025.

Transit, parking and infrastructure will be central to the next phase of planning. A stadium district, thousands of homes and riverfront access points will all require coordination on roads, transit service, utilities and public space.

The city will also need to keep working through zoning and construction sequencing. Reporting before the new plan had already flagged zoning-related delays for housing, showing that the residential portion of the project is likely to face a more complicated path than the stadium itself.

What happens next

For now, the June 30 plan is the clearest public outline of how D.C. wants the RFK campus to function as a mixed-use neighborhood.

The next round of decisions will determine how quickly the districts move from concept to permits, what housing and public-access commitments are locked in, and how the city and team handle the campus’s infrastructure needs.

Observers are also watching for formal reactions from the Commanders, local ANC and community groups, and council members as they weigh the affordability, traffic and public-access implications of the plan.

The project remains a work in progress, but the District’s new blueprint shows that the city is now treating the RFK site as more than a stadium parcel. It is being positioned as a long-term neighborhood buildout tied to the Commanders’ return and a major redevelopment push on the Anacostia waterfront.