EHN: “This bill would allow the District of Columbia to transform the RFK stadium campus, 174 acres of underutilized federal land in D.C. that primarily consist of parking lots, sports fields and a long-vacant stadium in the process of being demolished, into a thriving mixed-use development.”

photo by DCbmyers

From the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton:

“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released her floor statement ahead of today’s scheduled debate and vote on her bipartisan bill with Chair James Comer (R-KY) to direct the federal government to transfer administrative jurisdiction over the RFK Stadium campus to D.C. for 99 years, allowing D.C. to use the land for stadium redevelopment, commercial and residential development, or other public purposes. Norton has worked on prior versions of the bill aimed at revitalizing RFK Stadium campus, which at 174 acres is the largest unused track of land in the District, since 2017. This is the first time any version of the legislation has been considered on the House floor.

Throughout her career in Congress, Norton has prioritized transferring unused federal land to D.C. or the private sector, enabling the redevelopment of neighborhoods, generating tax revenue and bringing much-needed space to the District.

Norton is scheduled to manage floor debate on the bill beginning at 4:00 p.m. Her floor statement follows.

Floor Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
H.R. 4984, the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act
February 28, 2024

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I strongly support this bipartisan bill. This bill would allow the District of Columbia to transform the RFK stadium campus, 174 acres of underutilized federal land in D.C. that primarily consist of parking lots, sports fields and a long-vacant stadium in the process of being demolished, into a thriving mixed-use development. The National Capital Planning Commission, the central planning agency for the federal government in D.C., has long called for revitalization of the campus, and the Department of the Interior testified in support of the goals of this bill.

During my tenure, Congress has passed several bipartisan bills to transform underutilized land in D.C. into thriving mixed-used developments, including The Yards on the Southeast Waterfront and The Wharf on the Southwest Waterfront, and Reservation 13, 67 acres next to the RFK stadium campus, is now being transformed into a mixed-use development.

Since 1988, D.C. has leased without consideration the RFK stadium campus from the Department of the Interior, but the lease only permits D.C. to use the campus for recreation, a stadium and open space, and the lease expires in 2038. This bill would give D.C. administrative jurisdiction over the campus for at least 99 years and permit D.C. to use the campus for commercial and residential development, recreation, a stadium, parks and open space. This bill would require D.C. to reserve 30 percent of the campus for parks and open space and prohibit D.C. from building along the waterfront.

This bill is a win-win for the federal and D.C. governments. As the Department of the Interior testified, this bill would allow D.C. to transform the campus from “acres of asphalt to a complex focused on community sports, recreation, park space and cultural amenities” and would “guarantee public access to a sizeable amount of park land and outdoor recreation areas.” At the same time, this bill would allow D.C. to create a mixed-used development and to generate significant revenue for D.C.

I thank Chairman Comer for his leadership and partnership on this bill, and I thank Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Grijalva for their work on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.”