Any delays in the D.C. Council approval of a plan to build a new Washington Commanders stadium could jeopardize the entire project and prompt the franchise to consider looking to relocate elsewhere, Mayor Muriel Bowser warned Wednesday. But the council chair says that’s not the case.
At an unrelated event, Bowser said she included funding for the new stadium and development at the old RFK site in her budget proposal. The council has 70 days to work on the budget, ending Aug. 4.
The remarks come a day after NBC Washington first reported council members discussed the possibility of removing the stadium from the budget during a private meeting. Instead, a vote on the deal to bring the team back to D.C. could happen separately, after the budget vote
For weeks, Bowser has been describing the nearly $4 billion plan as the surest and fastest way to develop the land. She and the team are hoping a new stadium would be ready for the start of the 2030 season.
“As long as this deal goes with the budget, I think our agreement lives,” Bowser said. “If it doesn’t, our agreement dies.”
Asked about the council’s possible desire for more time to consider all aspects of the deal, Bowser said the next six weeks should be sufficient to ask questions and address any issues.
