Metro hosted an open house Tuesday night to give neighbors of the new Commanders stadium a chance to weigh in on transportation issues.
At the gathering of a few dozen people across the street from the Stadium/Armory Metro station, residents had a chance to speak directly with Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke and several other city officials on the current plans for the $3.8 billion development, which would also include retail and residential investments.
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The challenge: Moving tens of thousands of football fans into and out of the existing Metro station in time for the stadium’s projected 2030 opening day.
Metro is planning for a massive surge in transit riders when the new 65,000-seat stadium opens, estimating as many as 38,000 people could arrive by public transportation.
But Stadium-Armory Station currently can handle only about 14,000 customers an hour. Metro wants to dramatically expand the station, adding more space at the entrance, along with additional stairs, escalators and elevators to move crowds faster.
“Every day matters, but Metro is committed,” Clarke said in a meeting with reporters before the open house. “We said we are going to get it done, and we will get it done.”
Clarke told those attending the meeting that he is particularly excited about the Gold Line, a rapid bus line that would run from Union Station and connect to Stadium/Armony.
“The bus rapid transit project has the true chance to do what the streetcar never did: really revitalize the H Street corridor in a way that is going to be great for the businesses and residents, and then connect all the way across the bridge,” Clarke said, adding that the transit project will invigorate the Benning Road community.
The Commanders organization is providing $2.7 billion of the estimated cost while a public funding package of $1.1 billion will come from the District for infrastructure upgrades.
“Well, I’m really concerned about the bus bay,” Kevita Mack, a resident of 19th Street NE, said. “It used to have a lot of buses going through. But since they redid the entire bus system, there’s actually only one or two bus lines that come through. So I’m interested in finding out more about the Gold Line.”
Many residents had questions about the aggressive schedule to complete the stadium.
“That is a heavy lift,” said Mike Rodrigues, the CEO of St. Coletta of Greater Washington, which hosted Tuesday’s meeting and a series of similar community events for the Commanders organization. “But I’m impressed by what I’ve seen thus far.”
“We know that there are a number of communities that will be directly affected,” Ward 7 Council member Wendell Felder said.
“Whether it’s Rosedale, whether it is Kingman Park, whether it’s River Terrace, we want to make sure we get it right,” he said, adding that D.C. officials are listening to the conversations.
“If you see something, say something,” Felder said of residents’ concerns about the project.
“I think it’s on the Commanders, it’s on the city, it’s on WMATA to have these types of conversations and these types of gatherings to make sure they’re checking in,” Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen said. “Residents should check in on what they see going right, and what they see going wrong.”
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