Washington residents have until Friday, Aug. 14 to tell the city what they think about the Commanders' plan to build a 65,000-seat, $2.7 billion stadium at the RFK campus. The 45-day public comment period, which opened when the D.C. Office of Planning released the draft RFK Campus Master Plan on June 30, is entering its final stretch.

Feedback can be submitted three ways: through an online form at ourrfk.dc.gov, by email or through in-person testimony at a public hearing. The draft plan and a pop-up engagement schedule are posted on the same site.

The plan envisions more than a stadium. It includes up to 6,500 new homes, parks and retail surrounding the 13-story venue, part of a broader campus redevelopment the D.C. Council approved on a 9-3 vote. The total deal is valued at roughly $3.7 billion to $3.8 billion, with the Commanders' stadium investment alone at $2.7 billion.

The Office of Planning has been holding pop-up engagement events across the city, including one at Rosedale Neighborhood Library on July 28, to walk residents through the proposal.

Transit and traffic remain flashpoints

A May 2026 WMATA transit study estimates Metro rail and bus could carry 26,000 to 38,000 fans per major event, with about 25,000 arriving by car, according to HillRag's reporting on the campus transit plans. A proposed Gold Line bus rapid transit route from Union Station to RFK along H Street carries a $75 million price tag. Metro General Manager Randy Clarke has said agreements must be in place by summer 2026 for transit infrastructure to be ready when the stadium opens in 2030.

Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen said after a July 1 D.C. Council hearing that relying on fans to drive themselves would be untenable. "It's going to be a disaster," Allen said.

Under the RFK redevelopment law, a formal analysis of whether a third parking garage is needed won't be submitted until July 1, 2032, after the stadium has already opened.

Community support, mayoral push

D.C. resident James Jones, who brought youth football players from the S.O.L.Y.D. Foundations Inc. program to the Commanders' training camp on Aug. 1, told WTOP he hopes to live long enough to see the team play at the new RFK Stadium. A 2025 Washington Post poll found 53% of DMV residents identify as Commanders fans.

Mayor Muriel Bowser marked the one-year anniversary of the D.C. Council's first vote on the deal in a Facebook post on Aug. 5, saying the city is delivering jobs to D.C. residents working on the project and preparing for 2030.

What's next

After the Aug. 14 deadline, the next major milestone is an environmental review, with a detailed traffic analysis expected by summer 2027, according to DDOT. The draft plan and engagement schedule remain available at ourrfk.dc.gov.