![\"Commanders](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2_Conceptual-view-from-Anacostia-River-during-the-day-scaled.jpg\")
An initial rendering of the planned new Washington Commanders stadium, as seen from the Anacostia River.<\/p>\n
Many people call the Kingman Park neighborhood and surrounding area home. The neighborhood is just west of the stadium campus, and residents there hope their neighborhood benefits not from the new stadium itself, but the planned development that will surround it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis neighborhood needs grocery stores,\u201d Alexis Pazmino, who leads the Friends of Kingman Park Civic Association, said. \u201cWe need a full-service grocery store over by RFK. You know, we don\u2019t have any in this neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also said she hopes local business owners will benefit from development around the new stadium, which is slated to open for the start of the Washington Commanders\u2019 season in 2030.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see places where my money can be spent,\u201d Pazmino said. \u201cI have money in my pocket. I want to put it into our community. I would love to see coffee shops and restaurants and local businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Residents around the neighborhood said something similar, with one person noting a nearby 7-Eleven even closed down. They don\u2019t want to see more of the same chains or fast food restaurants that already exist all over D.C. and the surrounding area.<\/p>\n
But many are skeptical that small businesses will be able to afford to open up there.<\/p>\n
\u201cSay you\u2019re a moms and pops,\u201d a man named L. Randolph said. \u201cAre you able to afford to be able to run a business in this neighborhood? Because we all know the \u2026 lease prices are going to be super expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neighbors are also asking for something that visitors and game day fans definitely won\u2019t like \u2014 strict parking enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look, there\u2019s only a couple cars in the streets in those designs, and that\u2019s a, that\u2019s kind of a dream that isn\u2019t going to come true,\u201d Pazmino said. \u201cThe stadium is definitely a throwback to the previous designs, but we hope that it\u2019s not going to also be a throwback to the terrible parking and congestion that was here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even though there isn\u2019t that much around, Rodney Ford said there are already problems with parking in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that may be one of the biggest concerns by all of us in the neighborhood,\u201d Randolph said. \u201cWhere are these people going to be able to park and are they going to give them enough parking options so that they don\u2019t spill over into the neighborhood?\u201d<\/p>\n