As the Washington Commanders draw sold-out crowds to training camp despite brutal heat, supporters and opponents of a deal that would bring the team back to D.C. are gearing up for a key vote.

The D.C. Council is set to hold its first vote Friday on a revised agreement to develop the RFK Stadium campus and build a new football stadium on the site.

But before that happens, the public will get a chance to weigh in, then team and government officials will appear at another hearing Wednesday.

Hundreds of people are signed up to speak at the public hearing Tuesday. Mayor Muriel Bowser urged D.C. residents to speak up in favor of advancing the project, which also includes commercial and residential development.

We’ll also hear from residents who oppose the project. Some residents who live in the neighborhood think the new stadium is going to have a negative impact, causing traffic and parking problems. Then, there is the issue of the cost to taxpayers.

Councilmember Robert White blasted the deal, saying it’s “bending over backwards for billionaires.” News4’s Aimee Cho reports.

What opponents of the stadium deal say

Councilmember Robert White on Friday blasted what he called a fast-tracked vote.

“We are being asked to use public land and public dollars to fund our own displacement,” White said, in part, in a statement. “It’s everything people hate about government: bending over backwards for billionaires while working families and elders get squeezed out.”

White said he wants more from the deal, including the team moving its headquarters to D.C., more local jobs and anti-displacement provisions. He said the land should be returned to D.C.’s control if the team misses housing construction deadlines.

Some District residents have been protesting the stadium development project for months.

“We believe that affordable housing should be developed on that land instead of a stadium for a billionaire,” Kris Furinsh, who’s part of a group called Homes Not Stadiums, said.

Homes Not Stadiums is proposing a ballot initiative seeking to block any D.C. mayor from building a sports venue on the RFK site. They’ve been going back and forth with the Board of Elections over the wording of their initiative and whether it’s a matter that D.C. election laws allow residents to vote on.

Advocates of the deal push for a vote

D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert called for a vote soon.

“We know what’s at stake – jobs for DC residents, opportunities for DC businesses, thousands of new homes, and a SportsPlex for our youth. Further delay puts all of this at risk. The time is now to deliver for our city and bring our team home,” Albert said.

Council chair Phil Mendelson announced the latest version of the deal last week, saying the entire development could bring in billions in tax revenue over 30 years.

Mendelson can only afford to lose four councilmembers’ support at the vote Friday.

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