Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is hoping to transform the current site of Northwest Stadium in Landover into a bustling entertainment district that makes the Prince George’s County neighborhood an attraction.
The area where the Commanders’ stadium currently sits is a “disappointment,” Moore said Monday afternoon after an appearance at a quantum event in Riverdale.
His vision, which he said will be fine-tuned after community input, includes making the area a real “live, work, play environment.” It will include housing and entertainment, Moore said, making the neighborhood a destination.
Moore outlined his ideas for the site’s future hours after Commanders owner Josh Harris and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser detailed their agreement to build a new stadium at the old RFK Stadium site, part of a broader plan to relocate the franchise to the city.
“It’s one of the worst football experiences, not said by me, but literally said by football writers in the entire country,” Moore said of the Northwest Stadium facility. “It’s something that is 200 acres that is used eight times a year for a few hours during that time period.”
The fact the Commanders are returning to D.C., Moore insisted, is not something that people are “really thinking heavily about. What they’re thinking heavily about is, is that area going to be better than what it is right now?”
Moore and Harris signed a memorandum of understanding in December, a step that Moore described as a protection for the Maryland suburb in the event the team left for another location.
As part of the agreement, the team has to pay for what Moore described as the “tear down,” in addition to being the master developer of the site’s future, he said. He’s also “making sure that they’re going to pay for all the work and the funding behind the research around it.”
Asked whether the team will follow through on its commitments, Moore said he’s “very confident” that they’ll keep their word. He said the two sides have had ongoing conversations about it.
Whatever comes next at the Landover site will have community involvement, Moore said.
“We’re not going to dictate to the community what it’s going to look like,” Moore said. “The only promise I make to the community, it’s going to be better than it is right now.”
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The Commanders’ current lease at Northwest Stadium runs through 2027. Harris has expressed a desire to start the 2030 season at a new stadium in D.C.
The nearly $4 billion agreement for the team’s future home includes a 65,000-seat stadium that would have a roof, city leaders said at a news conference Monday.
The deal is still pending the D.C. Council’s approval.
