WASHINGTON (7News) — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she’s very confident that her deal with the Washington Commanders to build a new stadium on the RFK campus will come to fruition.

"We've been talking in the community, talking to the team, talking to stakeholders, for the better part of 10 years on why it was important for D.C. to reclaim the RFK site, almost 180 acres on the banks of the Anacostia River, and been talking about how important it was to bring our team home," Bowser said. "So I'm just very pleased that after many years, lots of planning and engagement and crafting an incredible deal for the city, we've made that announcement."

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“We invest in public land all the time. We did it at the wharf. We're doing it at Walter Reed and St. Elizabeth’s, but RFK will get a head start with an anchor, which means we'll get to delivering housing faster, recreational opportunities faster, and benefits for the city even faster,” said Bowser.

“The city has a rich and successful history partnering with sports franchises to create economic activity," said Bowser. "The bottom line for us is that we have to invest in our future. Our economy is changing with the potential loss of 40,000 federal jobs. We have to create new economic opportunities in our city.

“We have great support in the council, and I'm looking forward to advancing our legislation with the ’26 budget and getting a firm approval,” Bowser said. “When you have a transformational, largest-ever private investment in the District of Columbia, the council would drop the ball if it didn't do its job and vote for this proposal. Now, my job as mayor is to go get opportunity, to create opportunity, to make deals. It is the council's job to review those deals and approve those deals, and so we each have a role to play.”

Per the term sheet for the redevelopment of the land, if the council hasn’t taken up the vote on related legislation by July 15, either negotiating party can provide notice to pause or terminate the exclusive negotiation period. The parties may extend that period by mutual agreement.

Chairman Mendelson said at a legislative meeting Tuesday: “The mayor’s imposed deadline for the Commanders’ stadium, which she negotiated with the Commanders but not with us, of July 15, may be impossible for us to meet.”

Four councilmembers showed their support for a new stadium campus at Bowser’s Monday press conference, but most stopped short of saying they are already a 'yes' vote. At least seven councilmembers would need to approve the measure for it to go through.

“I’ve been at this a long time. I've shepherded a lot of development projects, and I've done a lot of good things for the city, and I've been in a lot of fights. Nats Park was a 7/6th vote. It was a fight, but it delivered," Bowser said. "And for the same kind of things that you're talking about."

"'Why are you spending capital dollars?’ Do you know what our capital budget is? It's $10 billion. This is $500 million out of $10 billion," Bowser said. "Do you know how many schools we fund in that ten billion $2 billion worth of roads, $2 billion worth. The economic development is actually a smaller slice of the pie, but the one that generates more revenue.”

If the council approves this, next year’s capital budget would include the $500 million the mayor referenced to go toward construction, $202 million to go toward infrastructure (projects her team says would need to be done whether a stadium is built or not) and $89 million for a new sportsplex for year-round sporting events for D.C. youth. Additional funding would be included beyond the financial plan that the mayor is expected to transmit to the council in the coming weeks.