You’re invited to a community forum in the evening of April 29 for people concerned about what an NFL stadium would mean at RFK. It is hosted by a new coalition, No Billionaires Playground – RFK for the Community.
The forum will feature experts and neighbors to speak, who will discuss concerns such as DC funds subsidizing a stadium and the lost opportunity to build a neighborhood that meets our needs. The forum also will include discussions of what RFK could look like if it were developed entirely to meet community’s needs.
The event is on April 29th, 6-8pm at the Hill Center, you can RSVP here.
In the meantime, check out the efforts of the No Billionaires Playground coalition at their website: NoRFKstadium.com
Take action by sending a letter to the DC Council that says RFK should be for the community, not a billionaire’s playground!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
CONTACT: Press@HomesNotStadiums.org
The Campaign for Homes Not Stadiums Submits Ballot Initiative to Prevent New Stadium on RFK Grounds
Concerned Citizens Aim to Stop the Trend of Billionaires Fleecing Taxpayers
Earlier this year, the 174 acre RFK Memorial Stadium grounds was transferred to the District of Columbia government and there are currently plans to use taxpayer money to finance the construction of a new stadium. The campaign believes that the land would better serve the citizens of the District of Columbia as affordable housing instead of a stadium.
“DC does not need another stadium. It needs more affordable homes and apartments for people like myself to have families,” says Kris Furnish, proposer and current renter. “Professional sports teams have billions of dollars at their disposal and do not need taxpayer dollars to finance their overpriced playgrounds.”
Ballot initiatives in DC are prohibited from appropriating taxpayer dollars. In order to bypass this flaw in DC’s ballot initiative law, concerned citizens will ask voters to create a “Special Purpose Zone,” similar to the zone that was created for Reservation 13, the 67 acre parcel of land adjacent to the RFK Memorial Stadium grounds that was transferred to DC from Congress in 2006 and is now known as Hill East Development District.
“Zoning laws shape the land around us. They dictate the height of buildings, the type of buildings, and showcase the intent of citizens to create a vision for their neighborhoods, “ says Adam Eidinger, treasurer of the campaign. “When Congress returned the land back to DC, they stipulated that 30% would become Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Park, but the rest of the land needs to be zoned for the best interests of voters, not billionaires.”
Next the DCBOE will seek advisory opinions from the Office of the DC Attorney General and the General Counsel for the DC Council as well as a Fiscal Impact Statement from the Chief Financial Officer. Based on these opinions, the Board will hold a hearing on whether the initiative is proper subject matter. Should the initiative be found to be proper subject matter, the campaign would be issued ballot access petitions later this year and if 5% of DC voters sign the petition, the question would be put on the primary election ballot in June 2026.
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Click here to download a copy of this press release