<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1R8u2I_1GxcPCS000" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1R8u2I_1GxcPCS000" width="800" height="450" >WASHINGTON (7News) — As plans move forward to transform the former RFK Stadium site into a new home for the Washington Commanders, two D.C. lawmakers are pushing changes that could shape how the surrounding neighborhoods look and how people travel to the stadium for decades.A newly filed amendment from Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen and Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder would preserve the possibility of future Metro expansion while pushing for parking garages that better fit the surrounding community.The amendment to the RFK Campus Planning Amendment Act of 2026 was submitted ahead of Tuesday's D.C. Council meeting.The proposal comes as lawmakers consider plans to transform the roughly 180-acre campus along the Anacostia River into a mixed-use development featuring a new football stadium, housing, businesses, restaurants, parks and recreational spaces.Allen told 7News on Tuesday that while he wants to see the property redeveloped, he has concerns about how much space would be dedicated to parking."There's parts of the small area plan that I do not like. I mean, the continuation of the sheer massive amount of parking lots and parking garages. I just don't think that's a really good idea," Allen said.One of his biggest concerns is the approximately 6,000 parking spaces proposed in large garages at the site."But 6,000 parking spaces in a garage, they're going to get used 20 times out of the year, just isn't a great use of land or space," Allen said.The amendment would add language to the District's Comprehensive Plan directing planners to reduce the above-ground height and visual impact of parking garages.It specifically calls for considering underground parking, alternative garage configurations and other design measures to make the structures less imposing.The proposal would also encourage retail businesses, public art, community-serving spaces and other pedestrian-friendly features on the ground floors of parking garages, where appropriate.The goal is to ensure the garages fit the scale of nearby neighborhoods rather than creating massive structures that dominate the surrounding streets.But parking is only part of the proposed changes.The amendment would also require planning for the RFK campus to preserve the possibility of future connections to or extensions of Metro's rail system.It specifically identifies the area around Oklahoma Avenue and Benning Road NE as a location where future transit connections should not be ruled out by development decisions made today.That includes considering how underground utilities are designed and constructed so they do not prevent potential rail expansion.Allen said he is working with Felder to make sure the redevelopment does not close the door on future public transportation improvements."We want to preserve the option that we're able to build Metro and continue to have our Metro system and public transit," Allen said.However, Allen emphasized that the amendment does not mean another Metro station is coming anytime soon."Make no mistake, that's not a new Metro station in the next couple of years," Allen said.The RFK campus is already served by the Stadium-Armory Metro station, but the lawmakers want to leave open the possibility of additional rail connections as the District grows.Allen said the decisions being made now could affect transportation options for generations."We have to be thinking about what does growth look like 50 years now," Allen said.The amendment does not authorize construction of a new Metro station, establish a route or provide funding for an expansion.Instead, it would establish planning guidance intended to prevent future development from blocking those possibilities.The Council's Office of the General Counsel reviewed the amendment on November 9 and determined it was legally and technically sufficient for Council consideration.A separate fiscal impact statement from the Council's budget director concluded the amendment would not change the underlying legislation's fiscal impact determination.The proposed changes come as the Council considers the broader RFK campus master plan, which will help establish the framework for development around the Commanders' planned stadium.The stadium is expected to be the centerpiece of a larger development intended to bring housing, entertainment, businesses and public spaces to the site.Allen said the Council cannot directly rewrite every part of the small area plan, but lawmakers can use related legislation to push for changes.He pointed to the proposed parking garages as an example of why additional scrutiny is necessary.For residents in the surrounding neighborhoods, the decisions could affect more than traffic on football Sundays.They could determine how much of the property is dedicated to parking, whether new businesses and community spaces are incorporated into the development and whether future Metro expansion remains possible.The amendment was formally submitted for consideration at Tuesday's Committee of the Whole meeting.</div></body>

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WASHINGTON (7News) — As plans move forward to transform the former RFK Stadium site into a new home for the Washington Commanders, two D.C. lawmakers are pushing changes that could shape how the surrounding neighborhoods look and how people travel to the stadium for decades. A newly filed amendment...

New RFK Proposal Targets Parking and Metro Access

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WASHINGTON (7News) — As plans move forward to transform the former RFK Stadium site into a new home for the Washington Commanders, two D.C. lawmakers are p

New RFK Proposal Targets Parking and Metro Access

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