Washington, D.C
Expanding estimates, unanswered questions: Checking the math on DC stadium deal
At a splashy announcement in late April, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser assured taxpayers their $1.1 billion investment in a new football stadium and entertainment complex would be money well spent — pledging that over 30 years the deal would bring in $4 billion in tax revenue.
A month later, her administration released a report from private consultants that upped that figure to $5.1 billion in tax revenue over a 30-year period.
But the News4 I-Team’s review of that new fiscal impact shows at least a third of those tax dollars will remain at the proposed Washington Commanders stadium site — a significant portion of the return promised to taxpayers.
Of the $5.1 billion private consultant CSL predicts the stadium and surrounding district will generate in tax dollars over 30-plus years, the I-Team found $1.7 billion will be spent running the stadium, maintaining the stadium and paying off the money D.C. borrows to build the stadium.
“Some of the tax revenue that’s generating that will stay on the campus is really meant to be able to maintain the quality of what’s there so it doesn’t degrade over time,” said D.C. City Administrator Kevin Donahue, adding those dollars would offset annual operating costs from public safety and civil enforcement associated with game days.
Donahue explained all sales taxes, food and beverage taxes, and ticket taxes generated at the stadium would stay in a fund used solely for the stadium expenses and upkeep.
It’s just one aspect of the $3.7 billion stadium complex deal now under consideration by the D.C. Council, which has discussed delaying a vote on the package Bowser proposed as part of the Council’s annual budget process.
Under the deal, the Commanders pledge to invest $2.7 billion of private money with more than $1 billion in D.C. taxpayer funds to revamp the RFK Stadium site in Ward 7.
The deal has come under fire, however, from taxpayer watchdogs who say District dollars would be better invested in District residents’ more urgent needs.
“This is really an investment in billionaire sports team owners. And what it is going to do is grow their profits while D.C. bears the cost,” Shira Markoff of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute told News4.
Markoff said that, at a time when necessities such as D.C. Medicaid and other safety nets face dramatic cuts, District residents deserve to know the full cost of the deal.
“This is D.C.’s money,” Markoff said. “We want to see it invested on behalf of D.C. residents to really grow our economy, you know, in ways that benefit D.C. workers and our most vulnerable population.”
But proponents of the deal, including Bowser, have argued there are few realistic alternatives for the RFK site, with estimates showing the Commanders complex would generate about 30,000 construction jobs and $4.2 billion in pay for those workers over three decades.
She has defended the multibillion-dollar tax revenue estimates as conservative, saying in early June: “When we look at the number of jobs created, tax revenue generated, the adjacent economic activity that is created, we think it could be even bigger.”
The I-Team asked for clarity on how the anticipated tax revenue changed from $4 billion over three decades to more than $5 billion in the private consultants’ report. The I-Team was told the private consultants aren’t available for media questions, but Donahue said the increase was a result of speeding up the projected opening of restaurants, shops and apartments surrounding the stadium.
“The bigger difference really was in the economic activity that’s happening outside the stadium,” Donahue told News4.
The I-Team wanted to see those dates and details and filed open records requests for the documents showing the initial projections and discussions around them.
The District provided the report breaking down the $5 billion figure but said neither the mayor, deputy mayor for economic development nor about a half dozen of their senior staffers had a copy of the first draft — which included the $4 billion figure — before reporting its promises in the stadium announcement.
The I-Team also was told the District could not locate a single email, text or voice message about it in its records.
The deal also projects as many as 6,477 multi-family residences around the stadium. That is almost five times as many residences in the District’s Wharf neighborhood, according to The Wharf’s website.
Under the deal, the Commanders have the right to develop the residences, but it’s unclear how many District dollars could go to that effort. The District already requires a portion of housing units to be designated as affordable and, according to Donahue, hasn’t ruled out providing additional funds for that purpose.
Donahue said District leaders arrived at the 6,477 number based off a master plan it has for the RFK site. But when the I-Team asked for a copy of that plan, which they said was prepared by outside consultants, they declined to release it.
Meanwhile, the D.C. Council hired an outside consultant to review the terms of the deal, which Bowser said must be approved by July 15 under its agreement with the Commanders. If that date passes, the Commanders could start negotiating again with Maryland or Virginia.
The team has said it hopes to open the new stadium by 2030.
Investigative producer Katie Leslie and photojournalist Derrick Cheston contributed to this report.
Sign up for our free deep-dive newsletter, The 4Front, to get standout News4 stories sent right to your inbox. Subscribe here.
Homelessness in the D.C. region ticked up slightly from 2025 to 2026, according to a new report from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
Homelessness in the D.C. region ticked up slightly from 2025 to 2026, according to a new report from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
Christine Hong, chair of the council’s Homeless Services Committee and chief of services to End and Prevent Homelessness with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, presented the findings at the council’s Wednesday meeting.
The report centers on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s mandated point-in-time count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.
“This year, the count was conducted on Feb. 4. We had to postpone it one week due to the extreme cold and winter weather event that we experienced the week prior,” Hong said. “Although it’s an imperfect measure, it provides an important regional snapshot of homelessness on a single night.”
The D.C. region reported 9,790 total people experiencing homelessness, an increase of 131 people or about 1% from 2025. The year-over-year regional change was modest. This count is closer in line to the 2019 number, before the pandemic.
“The regional story is that homelessness fell during the pandemic era, a period when expanded federal resources and emergency protections were in place, and then increased after those temporary supports ended,” Hong said. “The main takeaway is that regional homelessness is no longer increasing at the pace seen in 2023 and 2024, and is in line with the years immediately preceding the pandemic.”
Results varied by jurisdiction.
D.C. had the largest numerical increase, with 225 additional people counted. Prince George’s County, Maryland, had 175 additional people counted, a 29% increase. Montgomery County saw the largest decrease, down by 390 people or 26%. Hong pointed to the county’s investment in short-term housing.
“Montgomery County also spent a great deal to expand emergency shelter for families, because we are committed to ensuring no family with children would sleep outside even one night,” she said.
The count also included detailed information on race, veterans and household types.
“The broader evidence is clear, and is referenced in the report, that housing costs and the cost of living are major drivers of homelessness risk, especially for families with low income,” Hong said. “In practical terms, this means family homelessness is closely tied to whether low-income families can find and maintain housing.”
Read the full report here.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
WASHINGTON – The D.C. police lieutenant arrested in a Chris Hansen sting operation is due in court Wednesday.
Lt. Matthew Mahl is accused of soliciting sex with a minor. FOX 5’s Melanie Alnwick reports that Mahl was charged with felony solicitation of a minor. A status hearing Wednesday morning suggests the case could be paused, not prosecuted or dismissed, though the reason remains unclear.
DC police lieutenant arrested in child exploitation investigation tied to Chris Hansen sting
Mahl was one of several people arrested in April as part of an online sting for Hansen’s show “Takedown,” which he describes as a predator investigative series. Hansen’s team, working with members of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, set up a “sting house” where targets were lured to an address believing they were meeting a juvenile for sex.
Mahl did not enter the sting house. Instead, he was taken out of his vehicle on the street and arrested. He did not answer questions during the post‑arrest interview.
Hansen’s earlier program, “To Catch a Predator,” drew controversy over its tactics, which critics said ruined lives and careers before cases reached court. Others praised the shows for removing alleged child predators from the streets.
Mahl is on administrative leave and has had his police powers revoked. The D.C. police department is conducting its own internal investigation.
The Source: This article was written using information from the Metropolitan Police Department, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and and previous FOX 5 reporting.
Washington, D.C
Billionaire Dan Snyder to List Mansion on George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate for $49.9 Million
Billionaire Dan Snyder is putting his Virginia mansion that stands on George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate back on the market, with plans to list it next week for $49.9 million.
It’s a more than $10 million price cut on the Alexandria property, which was asking $60 million when it was first listed in 2024. Even with the price reduction, the home, which is 13 miles south of the nation’s capital, remains the most expensive listing in the entire Washington, D.C., area.
The price change is a signal the owners are serious about selling, said listing agent Michael Sobhi of the Sobhi Group. “The right buyer for a property like this is tracking the market closely, and a sharp, confident repositioning tells them the seller is serious and the opportunity is real,” he added.
MORE: JFK and Jackie Kennedy’s D.C. Home Before Moving Into the White House Sells for $6.125 Million
It’s the first time Sobhi’s taking the property to market, as it was previously listed with a different brokerage.
Snyder, 61, bought the 16.5-acre estate in 2021 for $48 million, records with PropertyShark show, setting a D.C.-area price record. He bought it from Robert Stevens, the former chairman and CEO of the global defense contractor Lockheed Martin, Mansion Global reported at the time of the deal.
This isn’t the first D.C.-area megamansion the former Washington Commanders owner has tried to sell in the past few years.
Farther north on the other side of the Potomac River in Maryland, Snyder built a French chateau-style home on about 15 acres in 2004. He listed the property for sale in 2023 for $49 million, and after failing to find a buyer after a year on the market, he donated the property to the American Cancer Society, Mansion Global previously reported. The nonprofit sold the home at auction last year for $11.84 million.
The 16,000-square-foot Alexandria home is perched along the riverbank of the Potomac, allowing for both a picturesque setting and convenience—the estate has a private dock, giving the owner access to D.C. and other Northern Virginia waterfront destinations by boat. It occupies the largest privately-owned portion of the land that made up Washington’s estate, according to the listing.
Though built in the Federal style, the four-level mansion doesn’t date to Washington’s era—it was built in 2018. It has eight bedrooms and 15 bathrooms, and nearly every room in the house takes in views of the river.
MORE: Walmart’s Arkansas Hometown Is at the Center of an Emerging Luxury-Home Hot Spot
“There’s simply nothing else that offers this level of seclusion and waterfront living at this scale so close to the center of power in Washington,” Sobhi said.
Amenities range from an entertainment level with a full bar and a billiards table to a fitness center with a spa that includes a steam room, an infrared sauna and a resistance pool. There’s also a 15-seat theater, which Snyder upgraded with a 15-foot by 9-foot Stewart screen and “a fully DCI-compliant system that rivals a commercial cinema experience,” Sobhi said.
Additional structures include a 2,600-square-foot guest house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, and a carriage house with four garage bays and a studio apartment.
Mansion Global Boutique: Set a Spring-Themed Table
On the grounds, there’s an English-style boxwood garden, recreated based on original Mount Vernon plans.
Snyder, who, according to Forbes, has a net worth of $4.7 billion, couldn’t be reached for comment.
-
Idaho3 minutes agoIdaho silversmiths craft wearable works of art inspired by the West
-
Illinois9 minutes agoHost of new Illinois laws would target various parts of the AI industry
-
Indiana15 minutes agoIndiana A.G. finishes Karl King Tower investigation, finalizes compliance order
-
Iowa21 minutes ago
Democrats will debate in Iowa US Senate primary shaped by outside money and big-name endorsements
-
Kansas27 minutes agoKHP says 135 spill was human waste
-
Kentucky33 minutes agoWhich Kentucky Derby horses are running in the 2026 Preakness Stakes?
-
Louisiana39 minutes agoLouisiana National Guard troops return to Washington for Trump task force
-
Maine45 minutes agoA top issue in Maine and Oklahoma governors’ races? Tribal sovereignty. – ICT
