(Washington, DC) Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and District leaders highlighted investments in the Hill East community, including the plan for a new DC Jail on Hill East and a proposal for a new SportsComplex@RFK on the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (RFK) Campus. Mayor Bowser also called on federal leaders to transfer the RFK campus to the District government in order to begin redeveloping this vacant and dilapidated property into uses that serve District residents.
“We have a proven track record – at St. Elizabeths East, Walter Reed, The Wharf, and Hill East – of putting underused federal land to better use for DC residents, and the RFK campus holds 190 acres of extraordinary potential,” said Mayor Bowser. “With Congress’s help, we can turn 190 acres of asphalt and grass into affordable housing, recreation, jobs, and more. And the time to act is now. Washingtonians need those opportunities now and the land is there. We are moving forward with plans to advance the Hill East community, and now it is time for Congress to do what is right and move forward with the full transfer of the RFK Campus to the District.”
The investments in the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget build on the Bowser Administration’s work to reactivate and repurpose the land on the bank of the Anacostia River in Hill East – 67 acres of land which were secured for transfer from the federal government to the District through Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s land transfer bill, the Federal and DC Government Real Property Act, that passed Congress in 2006. When she took office, Mayor Bowser promised to tear down DC General Hospital and replace it with Short Term Family Housing facilities in all eight wards. The Mayor kept that promise and advanced the revitalization of the former federal land known as Reservation 13 or Hill East, and since then, has delivered market and affordable housing on the site and will soon deliver a 100-unit permanent supportive housing project above the metro station. In 2021, Mayor Bowser and Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development used the EquityRFP — which prioritizes working with companies or organizations led by people of color — to award two teams which will deliver more than 2,000 more units of housing, green space and commercial uses to Hill East. The Fair Shot Budget includes $79.7 million to build the infrastructure to advance the project.
The Mayor’s budget also includes $251 million to build new DC Jail, which is adjacent to site, including an annex to the District’s Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF) that will provide a new, modernized facility that better supports successful rehabilitation and re-entry. The Department of Corrections (DOC) system is comprised of two primary correctional facilities – the Central Detention Facility (also known as the DC Jail or CDF) and Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF). The plan calls for all services to be provided at the CDF, while the Central Treatment Facility (CTF) is improved and expanded with a new annex. Then the CDF will be phased out and demolished, and the CTF will be the District’s new jail. The plan also includes additional capital investments of $25 million to maintain safe, secure, and humane conditions for residents at the CDF until the new CTF annex can be completed.
Just a mile to the north of the DC Jail, the land beneath the RFK Stadium campus is currently owned by the federal government. Mayor Bowser is seeking the full transfer of the 190-acre campus. The Mayor’s budget includes $60 million to create the SportsComplex@RFK, an indoor sports complex that will accommodate gymnastics, indoor track & field, boxing, and more for residents across all eight wards. The District has invested in the RFK Campus during Mayor Bowser’s time in office with their partners at EventsDC to deliver the Fields@RFK which serve youth and recreation teams in need of sought after field space. The budget also includes $18.5 million to build pedestrian and bicycle bridges across the Anacostia River to connect residents to River Terrace, the RFK Campus, Hill East and Kingman & Heritage Islands.
The reactivation of Hill East, eventually including the RFK Campus, will be the latest example of the District acquiring federal land and putting it to better use for DC residents. In addition to Reservation 13, District has redeveloped several large-scale properties previously owned by the federal government, including the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Ward 4 (66.7 acres), the former St. Elizabeths East campus (183 acres) in Ward 8, and the southwest waterfront (27 acres of land), now called The Wharf, in Ward 6. All developments, and none as large as the RFK Campus, have resulted in affordable housing, jobs and retail amenities, and recreational opportunities for residents. Additionally, at the St. Elizabeths East campus, the Mayor has already delivered the Entertainment and Sports Arena and a new men’s shelter, and recently broke ground on a new full-service hospital, Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, GW Health. At the Walter Reed development, the Mayor has delivered a charter school, a new fire station, housing, and an innovation lab in partnership with Johnson & Johnson and Children’s National Medical Center.