$489.6 Million Redevelopment of Former Sports Stadium Breaks Ground in D.C.

"With shovels in a sandbox atop the sun-soaked sprawl of concrete, the crumbling stadium behind, city leaders and officials broke ground on the first stage of RFK’s four-year, $489.6 million planned redevelopment Wednesday morning," reports Noah Frank.

"That initial stage will transform 27 acres of asphalt on the 190-acre campus into a trio of multipurpose fields on the north end of the stadium that will accommodate soccer, lacrosse, baseball and softball, as well as a 6,000-square-foot pavilion in the middle," adds Frank. Those fields will be complete in March 2019, after coming to fruition thanks to a grassroots campaign to create sports fields for children in a part of the city that previously lacked sports and recreation options for kids.

"The four other components – a market hall, a sports and recreation complex, bridges connecting through Kingman and Heritage Islands, and a permanent RFK memorial – have target completion dates over the next several years through 2021," adds Frank. Planetizen coverage of the larger project includes an article from 2017, when Events DC announced the redevelopment proposal.