Washington Commanders Stadium Plan Advances With 6,000-Space Garage Review

Two multilevel garages totaling 6,000 spaces will anchor the 180-acre RFK campus, which is slated to include up to 6,500 homes and a 70,000-seat stadium.

By the Family Office Real Estate Daily Desk·Monday, September 14, 2026·2 min read

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The answer · checked against Bisnow

What is the current status of the Washington Commanders' RFK stadium and campus development plan?

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts is reviewing concept plans for two multilevel parking garages, G1 and G2, totaling 6,000 spaces for the planned 180-acre RFK campus in Washington, D.C. The campus is slated to include between 5,000 and 6,500 homes and a 70,000-seat Washington Commanders stadium. The National Capital Planning Commission is scheduled to review the same garage concept plans on October 1.

Key facts

The RFK Stadium Project Management Office and the Washington Commanders submitted designs showing two garages, G1 and G2, totaling 6,000 parking spaces on either side of the stadium, according to submission materials.
G1 is slated to have nine levels and will sit directly south of the stadium, with two architectural design concepts under assessment; both include pedestrian connectivity to the stadium, a green roof, and solar panels, according to submission materials.
G2 will include eight parking levels, be located north and northeast of the stadium, and is intended to facilitate access from major roadways while minimizing traffic impacts on Kingman Park, according to submission materials.
The National Capital Planning Commission granted preliminary approval of the Washington Commanders' stadium in April, with final review expected in early 2027.
The CFA preliminarily approved the stadium in July, but earlier this year CFA members criticized the proposed southeast location of G1 and suggested relocating it near the D.C. Armory, according to WUSA9.

Washington Commanders Stadium Plan Advances With 6,000-Space Garage Review — Image: editorial illustration · Story sourced from Bisnow

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts will review concept plans this week for two parking garages expected to serve the planned Washington Commanders stadium and surrounding RFK campus redevelopment in Washington, D.C. The garages will total 6,000 parking spaces and sit on either side of the stadium, adding to roughly 2,000 existing surface parking spaces.

The CFA will evaluate the RFK campus master plan and concept plans for the garages at its Thursday meeting. The National Capital Planning Commission will review the parking garage concept plans on Oct. 1. Members of the NCPC and the CFA have previously expressed concerns about the garages, including over whether they would obstruct views, according to the Washington Business Journal.

A community group near the proposed G2 has opposed any multilevel garage near its Kingman Park neighborhood, instead calling for a new metro station. The Commanders and the NCPC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

G1 will sit directly south of the stadium and is intended to maintain waterfront access, preserve views, and avoid the concentration of parking and traffic in a single area of the RFK campus, according to submission materials. It is slated to have nine levels, and two architectural design concepts are under assessment to create a visually pleasing structure. Both designs include pedestrian connectivity to the stadium, a green roof and solar panels.

G2 will be north and northeast of the stadium and is intended to facilitate access to the campus from major roadways while minimizing traffic impacts on Kingman Park and other nearby residential streets, according to the materials. It will include eight parking levels and connectivity to the stadium. Public space around the garages is imagined to support arts and craft festivals, farmers markets, outdoor concerts and other community uses.

The garages are integral components of the RFK campus and are envisioned as much more than parking infrastructure, the submission document says. They are an opportunity to create architecture and public spaces that contribute to the identity, character, and everyday life of the campus and surrounding neighborhood.

The NCPC in April granted preliminary approval of the Commanders' stadium. Final review is expected in early 2027. The CFA preliminarily approved the stadium in July. Earlier this year, CFA members criticized the proposed southeast location of G1 and suggested relocating it to another site near the D.C. Armory, WUSA9 reported. The garages will be part of the planned 180-acre mixed-use RFK campus, which is slated to include between 5,000 and 6,500 homes and be anchored by a 70,000-seat Commanders stadium. The District released its draft master plan for the campus in June and accepted comments until mid-August. The size of planned parking garage structures was one of residents' key concerns. The D.C. Office of Planning expects to submit a revised master plan to the D.C. Council this fall.

The Deployment Angle

Family Office Real Estate Daily Desk · our analysis, not the source's

The 180-acre RFK campus redevelopment presents two distinct entry points for family office capital. The first is programmatic co-investment alongside the Commanders ownership group on the stadium-anchored mixed-use development, which would entail split-governance risk and exposure to professional sports franchise economics. The second is direct ownership of the residential component through a separate account or platform joint venture with a Washington-focused multifamily developer, isolating capital from stadium construction risk while capturing demand driven by the campus activation.

The residential scale warrants attention. Between 5,000 and 6,500 homes on 180 acres implies a density of roughly 28 to 36 units per acre, consistent with mid-rise garden and podium product rather than high-rise condominiums. At a conservative $400,000 per unit for for-sale product or $250,000 per door for rental, the housing alone represents $1.25 billion to $2.6 billion in end value. If the development proceeds on a phased basis with final stadium approval expected in early 2027, early-phase residential equity could be deployed in late 2027 or early 2028, ahead of stadium completion and campus activation.

The parking garage review timeline is a lead indicator for infrastructure readiness. The National Capital Planning Commission's Oct. 1 review of the garage concept plans, combined with the CFA's Thursday evaluation, suggests that base infrastructure design is advancing ahead of vertical construction. Community opposition to G2 near Kingman Park and prior CFA criticism of G1's location introduce approval risk that could delay site preparation by six to twelve months if design revisions are required. Any capital commitment should be contingent on final NCPC and CFA approval of the garage locations and the revised master plan expected from the D.C. Office of Planning this fall.

The mixed-use campus structure argues for a phased capital deployment approach rather than a single upfront commitment. Early-phase residential investment allows principal families to capture initial appreciation driven by infrastructure completion and stadium announcement effects, with the option to redeploy proceeds into later-phase retail or office components as campus activation de-risks those uses. Co-investment alongside the Commanders ownership exposes capital to stadium construction cost overruns and franchise performance risk, which are difficult to underwrite and offer limited downside protection. Direct residential ownership via a separate account or programmatic joint venture with a local multifamily sponsor isolates capital from those risks while maintaining exposure to the demand catalyst the stadium represents.

Questions this story answers

01How many parking spaces are planned for the new RFK stadium campus?

The RFK campus plan calls for two multilevel garages, G1 and G2, totaling 6,000 new parking spaces. These will be in addition to the roughly 2,000 existing surface parking spaces already on site, according to submission materials from the RFK Stadium Project Management Office and the Washington Commanders.

02What is the current approval status of the Washington Commanders' new stadium at RFK?

The National Capital Planning Commission granted preliminary approval of the Commanders' stadium in April, and the Commission of Fine Arts preliminarily approved the stadium in July. Final review by the NCPC is expected in early 2027. The NCPC and CFA are now separately reviewing concept plans for the two planned parking garages.

03What is the full scope of the RFK campus redevelopment plan?

The RFK campus redevelopment covers 180 acres and is slated to include a 70,000-seat Washington Commanders stadium, between 5,000 and 6,500 homes, and two multilevel parking garages totaling 6,000 spaces. Public space around the garages is envisioned to support arts and craft festivals, farmers markets, and outdoor concerts, according to submission materials.

04What community opposition exists to the RFK stadium parking garages?

A community group near the proposed G2 garage has opposed any multilevel garage near its Kingman Park neighborhood and is instead calling for a new metro station, according to the source. Members of both the NCPC and the CFA have previously expressed concerns about the garages, including whether they would obstruct views, according to the Washington Business Journal.

05When will regulators make a decision on the RFK parking garage plans?

The Commission of Fine Arts is reviewing the garage concept plans at its Thursday meeting, with commentary and any action to be documented the following week, according to an agency spokesperson. The National Capital Planning Commission is scheduled to review the parking garage concept plans on October 1.

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