D.C. Is on Track to Control Armory Land Near RFK Stadium

A planning commission voted to transfer jurisdiction of the land, the first step in giving the city authority over it.

D.C. Armory

The D.C. Armory serves as the headquarters for the D.C. National Guard. Steve Helber/AP

The District’s redevelopment plan for the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium campus is one step closer to fruition after a federal planning commission approved the transfer Thursday of the D.C. Armory to local control.

The National Capital Planning Commission voted to transfer jurisdiction of the 9.4 acres to D.C., the first step in giving the local government authority over the land. The transfer still has to be approved by the mayor, the D.C. Council and Congress.

The D.C. Armory, headquarters of the D.C. National Guard, is included in the District’s drafted master plan as a space to be “considered in concert with” the development of the Commanders’ stadium and surrounding recreation areas. Similar to the rest of the RFK site, the federal government will retain ownership of the property, but the District will be in charge of maintaining and redeveloping it.