D.C. Council Holds Decisive Hearing on 180-Acre RFK Campus Master Plan Delivering 6,500 Homes and Gold Line Rapid Transit

D.C. Council Evaluates Landmark RFK Campus Master Plan on Eastern Riverfront

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a transformational milestone for the District of Columbia's eastern riverfront, the Council of the District of Columbia convened a high-stakes public oversight hearing on September 30, 2026, to review the finalized RFK Campus Master Plan. Officially transmitted by Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Office of Planning, the comprehensive framework outlines the generational redevelopment of the 180-acre federally transferred campus along the Anacostia River.

The project represents the largest economic development package in District history, centered around a state-of-the-art 65,000-seat multi-purpose stadium designed as the future home of the NFL's Washington Commanders targeting completion by 2030, alongside international sporting events, major outdoor concerts, and public celebrations.

6,500 Mixed-Income Homes, 30% Affordable Housing Mandate, and 76 Acres of Parkland

Addressing the District’s critical housing shortage, the master plan dedicates vast parcels to accommodate between 5,500 and 6,500 new residential units, backed by an enforceable municipal requirement that at least 30 percent remain permanently affordable for working-class District households. The riverfront master plan incorporates over 1,200 hotel keys, 287,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving retail, and dedicated incubator storefronts for local minority entrepreneurs.

Approximately 76 acres—exceeding 40 percent of the total acreage—will be permanently preserved as public open space, featuring community athletic turf fields, a modern youth sportsplex, and ecological wetland boardwalks connecting directly to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail.

Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit and Stadium-Armory Metro Modernizations

To guarantee reliable mass transit connectivity without congesting residential streets, the plan introduces the Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), linking Union Station directly to the RFK campus via dedicated busways on H Street and Benning Road NE. Simultaneously, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) confirmed coordinated mezzanine expansions and platform capacity improvements at the adjacent Stadium-Armory Metro station.

The RFK hearing follows Mayor Bowser’s mid-September economic package delivering over 1,200 additional housing units across Wards 7 and 8, reinforcing a district-wide commitment to equitable residential development.