Parking debate dominates first phase of Commanders stadium development

Parking debate dominates first phase of Commanders stadium development

Some D.C. officials are pushing the Washington Commanders to rethink the two parking garage decks proposed for the RFK site, echoing criticism from neighbors.

Why it matters: Transportation is the hottest debate so far on the road to building the Commanders stadium by 2030 (see also: Metro access).

Driving the news: Commanders officials presented new designs of two tall parking decks Thursday at the National Capital Planning Commission, which is reviewing the project.

  • The garages would hold 6,000 spaces, with another 2,000 spaces planned on surface parking lots.
  • That the larger garage (3,600 spaces, eight stories high) would be plopped down near the existing single-family neighborhood of Kingman Park is drawing pushback from neighbors.
  • "You're putting the biggest parking deck in the history of Washington, D.C., between that neighborhood and the water," said NCPC commissioner Evan Cash.
  • Critics want some levels buried underground and the garage shifted farther from homes and closer to the Benning Road commuter corridor.

    • A rendering of the largest parking garage, as seen from the Kingman Park community. It would be eight levels and 780 feet in length. Image: Rendering submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission

    The other side: The design team says building underground is tricky, considering the site's high water table. They also say it would cost a lot more.

    Meanwhile, the smaller garage (2,400 spaces, nine stories high) would sit much closer to the stadium, raising a different concern: its effect on stadium views.

  • Some NCPC commissioners favor a design option that would help blend the proposed garage into the future neighborhood, with an exterior resembling the apartment buildings planned around it.
  • "I think a little nipping and tucking" could lessen its impact on the stadium view, said Matt Bell of Perkins Eastman.

    • Flashback: Earlier garage designs drew blowback for being bulky and 11 stories tall.

    What's next: More design tinkering in the coming months.