Mayor Bowser Transmits RFK Campus Master Plan to D.C. Council Featuring 6,500 Homes and Riverfront Parkland

Mayor Muriel Bowser Formally Transmits Final RFK Campus Master Plan to D.C. Council

WASHINGTON, District of Columbia — Marking a historic milestone for urban redevelopment in late October 2026, Mayor Muriel Bowser officially transmitted the comprehensive RFK Campus Master Plan to the Council of the District of Columbia. Representing the single largest economic and civic development proposal in modern District history, the master plan establishes a transformative blueprint to repurpose 180 idle, federally transferred acres along the Anacostia River into an active, mixed-use waterfront district centered on public recreation, neighborhood commerce, and high-density residential communities.

While anchoring the site around a potential 65,000-seat sports venue designed to return the NFL's Washington Commanders to the nation's capital by the 2030 season, administrative leaders stressed that sporting activities represent only one facet of a multi-decade community asset.

Master Plan Guarantees Up to 6,500 Residential Units and 76 Acres of Public Parkland

Under statutory guidelines established in the transmittal documents, the RFK redevelopment framework mandates the construction of between 5,500 and 6,500 new residential units, with an ironclad requirement that at least 30% be permanently designated as affordable housing for working-class families and district civil servants. The plan reserves roughly 30% of the entire footprint—encompassing 76 contiguous acres—for public parklands, continuous Anacostia Riverwalk trail extensions, community youth sports diamonds, and ecological wetlands.

To ensure neighborhood accessibility without congesting surrounding Ward 7 and Ward 6 roadways, the plan outlines multi-million-dollar infrastructure investments to double pedestrian concourse capacity at the Stadium-Armory Metro station and introduce high-capacity dedicated transit connections, including a proposed rapid-bus Gold Line.

D.C. Council Initiates Comprehensive Legislative Review and Neighborhood Oversight

Inside the John A. Wilson Building, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and economic development committees launched formal public hearings on the master plan transmittal, setting an agenda to evaluate zoning amendments and community benefits agreements before year-end. Lawmakers reiterated that development approvals will require rigorous climate compliance and protections for surrounding residential enclaves, while balancing broader executive packages supporting neighborhood revitalization at Poplar Point and expanded medical care infrastructure east of the river.