WASHINGTON (7News) — A stadium or a neighborhood?

That’s the question facing the District as a grassroots group ramps up its campaign against a plan to bring the Washington Commanders back to the RFK campus.

The group Homes Not Stadiums urged D.C. residents to show up and speak out at a high-stakes D.C. Council hearing on July 29 at 10 a.m., when lawmakers will consider the Robert F. Kennedy Campus Redevelopment Act of 2025, a bill that could clear the way for a new Commanders stadium on public land.

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The bill, introduced by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, mirrors a proposal from Mayor Muriel Bowser. But critics said it fast-tracks a stadium deal while shutting the public out of the process.

“This is about priorities,” said Adam Eidinger, treasurer of the Homes Not Stadiums campaign. “We can either build homes for 20,000 families or lease public land to a billionaire for a dollar. Residents deserve a say.”

More than 300 people have already signed up to testify, according to Eidinger, who expects that number to top 500 by the end of the month. The group argues the one-day hearing is designed to muffle opposition, with testimony likely stretching past midnight.

SEE ALSO | Study claims Washington Commanders stadium deal could generate billions of dollars for DC

The Big Idea: Homes, Not Helmets

Instead of another publicly subsidized stadium, Homes Not Stadiums wants the city to rezone the RFK site for a mixed-income neighborhood, housing for tens of thousands of working families.

The group is also backing a ballot initiative to strip the mayor of unchecked authority to cut sports deals involving taxpayer money or public land. While the initiative might not stop the current deal, organizers believe courts could apply it retroactively.

They’ll make their case to the D.C. Board of Elections on Aug. 8. If the initiative is denied, they plan to sue, a legal playbook they’ve successfully used before.

Allegations of Backroom Deals and Hidden Costs

Organizers claim this is more than bad policy – it’s backroom politics. They’ve slammed the mayor for offering the Commanders a $1-per-year lease on RFK land, calling it a giveaway to billionaire team owners and campaign donors.

They’re also demanding transparency:

Anyone spending more than $250 a month to influence D.C. policy is required to file a report.

Last month, several councilmembers were invited to a private dinner with Commanders’ execs, sparking more concerns about who’s driving the deal.

7News has reached out to the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability to ask why a report has not yet been filed, and has not yet heard back.

RELATED | DC Council invited to dinner with Commanders’ leaders amid possible delays to RFK deal

Then there’s the price tag: Eidinger estimates the stadium could cost taxpayers more than $1 billion in the next year, once hidden costs and infrastructure bills are factored in.

Organizers called on residents to testify on July 29, support the ballot initiative, and demand a full financial review before the Council votes.

If the legislation moves forward, the group said it’s ready to take the fight to court, just like activists did in Chicago, where lawsuits over hidden costs helped stall a stadium project.