A reimagined RFK campus is one step closer to reality after the District released its final master plan to transform the 180-acre site along the Anacostia River into a massive mixed-use destination.
The plan, unveiled Thursday, calls for development of thousands of affordable and market-rate residential units, plus hotels, office space, retail, entertainment uses, parks, transit and open space.
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The announcement marks the latest step in bringing to life the new campus, which is set to be anchored by a 70,000-seat Commanders stadium. The final plan was submitted to the D.C. Council for review, and District officials hope the body will approve it by the end of the year.
“Yes, we will have world-class sports,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, joined by other District officials on the grounds of the RFK campus to speak about the grand vision.
“Yes, we will have great parks. Yes, we will have better connections to the Anacostia River. Yes, we will have youth sports. But most intriguing for today's discussion is all the new housing and jobs that will be created in addition to our sports complex,” she said.
The city unveiled a draft plan in June after about a year of feedback sessions. It divides the RFK campus into six districts with distinct purposes and envisions up to 6,500 homes, 30% of which would be affordable. Each of the districts, except for one, will include a combination of commercial development, parks and recreational uses.
The final plan aims to address a suite of concerns residents expressed in the more than 3,100 comments submitted on the draft. It sets more detailed expectations for the delivery of affordable housing across the campus, expands on its proposed transit plans and adds new language on interagency coordination, among other changes.
“The bottom line: What they wanted was something that enhanced their neighborhood,” Bowser said. “They wanted these 180 acres to be used productively to create homes and housing for D.C. residents and jobs for D.C. residents and to help us right our economy. As our economy shifts and you have fewer or less federal activity, we have to have more of everything else, and that includes hospitality, sports and economic development.”
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The draft called for the development of affordable units to be phased so that no fewer than 30% of units built are affordable at any given time. The final plan specifies that by the time 700 residential units are built in a district, and “at all times after that,” no fewer than 30% of units in that district should be affordable.
Commercial development will take place in the three residential districts and the Stadium District. The Riverfront District would have the densest development, with around 3,100 homes, 500 hotel rooms and 92K SF of retail across 19.4 acres. The Plaza District would include about 2,200 homes, 700 hotel rooms and 150K SF of retail across 18.7 acres.
The Kingman Commons district is designed to be primarily residential but could also provide neighborhood-serving retail. Development in the Stadium District could include office space, entertainment venues and other uses to complement stadium activities.
The final plan adds new subsections to its public transit section, which includes information on a proposed Gold Line bus rapid transit route, roadway improvements, parking, and “transportation and technology.” It details plans for two standalone parking garages to the north and south. Those garages, which could rise up to 110 feet and include 6,000 spaces, have been the source of community concern around their impact on the area’s sightlines.
The plan adds more design requirements for the structures and outlines expectations that they also be utilized for special events.
Bowser said she remembers that initial discussions around the RFK redevelopment involved three parking structures, which were throughout the process conceived as above-ground rather than subterranean.
“Ultimately, they may need three garages, but they can make it work for two,” she said.
A new section on agency collaboration specifies how public sector agencies will work together to shape transportation improvements and environmental commitments, while private partners such as the Washington Commanders organization, housing providers and commercial tenants will operate the components of the campus day to day.
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The plan says many commenters expressed concerns about proposed building heights, particularly from residents of the Kingman Park and Hill East neighborhoods. A summary of changes says that while the plan “generally calls for high-density mixed-use buildings in the Riverfront, Plaza, and Kingman Commons Districts, the zoning framework and design guidelines identify locations for lower building heights and context-sensitive architecture.”
The parking garages have been a key concern for neighboring residents, with Friends of Kingman Park Civic Association President Alexis Pazmino telling Bisnow earlier this month that the garage designs are car-centric and that the proposed garage near Kingman Park will become a “giant eye sore facing a historic neighborhood.”
The final master plan adds a section on an upcoming traffic operations and parking plan for the new stadium that will aim to reduce impacts on residents, increase pedestrian safety and encourage walking and biking. The section says such a plan will be finalized closer to the stadium’s opening day, scheduled for 2030.
“What this master plan does is it helps us think about the future,” D.C. Director of Planning Anita Cozart said at the event. “What are the buildings going to look and feel like? What is our experience traveling through the sidewalks and the streets of this community?”
Once the council approves the plan, the Office of Zoning will release the zoning guidelines for the parcels, which will dictate development parameters like density, building height and character.
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