RFK planning, a revived Reservation 13 deal and the proposed transfer of the DC Armory are advancing at the same time but at different paces. That moves long-promised development in Hill East along while opening new questions about timing, transportation and public control.
For years, the eastern edge of Capitol Hill has been defined as much by plans as by existing buildings. Now three separate plans are converging around Stadium-Armory Metro: the District is refining a master plan for the former RFK Stadium campus, the DC Council has changed the terms of a major Reservation 13 development and the federal government has proposed transferring administrative control of the DC Armory grounds to the city as the DC National Guard considers a move.
Hill East is entering a transformative phase. Each project still faces approvals, financing and design work, but current decisions will determine who controls the land, what can be built and which public costs accompany the transformation.
RFK: Vision Taking Shape
The most visible change is already underway: the old RFK Stadium is dismantled. The larger redevelopment, however, remains in the planning and preconstruction stage. The District released a draft RFK Campus Master Plan June 30 and closed a 45-day public-comment period Aug. 14. The Office of Planning is now expected to revise the document before sending it to the D.C. Council for consideration.
The draft covers roughly 174 acres and proposes 5,000 to 6,500 homes, with at least 30 percent designated affordable, plus six million to eight million square feet of mixed-use development. It divides the campus into six districts. The Washington Commanders would lead development of the Stadium, Plaza and Riverfront districts, while the District would oversee the Kingman Park District, Recreation District and Anacostia Commons. A 65,000-seat enclosed stadium remains targeted to open in 2030.
The plan is a framework, not a construction drawing. It establishes intended land uses, building heights, open spaces and a street network for land that lacks conventional zoning. Next come revisions, Council review, Comprehensive Plan and zoning actions, environmental review and detailed engineering. The surrounding neighborhoods will arrive in phases.
Transportation remains the largest unresolved issue for nearby residents. The city and WMATA have an agreement to fund design for improvements to Stadium-Armory Station and a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line, called the gold line, that would connect Union Station to RFK via H Street NE. Plans are at 30 percent, and $300 million has been budgeted for station improvements although funding is not yet allocated for the BRT.
But traffic remains a concern. Draft documents sketch new and converted streets, parking structures and transit connections, but final lane configurations, game-day traffic operations and parking controls have not been settled. The result is a mismatch in certainty: the stadium has a 2030 target, while much of the system intended to move tens of thousands of visitors is still conceptual.
The measure of progress over the coming year will be whether the District converts its vision into enforceable zoning, funded infrastructure and a schedule coordinating the stadium with housing, parks and transportation.
Revised Deal Revives Reservation 13 Project
Immediately south of the RFK campus, the Hill East Development District, still widely known as Reservation 13, is moving along at a much slower pace. The District adopted a master plan for the former hospital campus in 2002. Phase I eventually produced the Park Kennedy apartments and The Ethel which provide permanent supportive housing along with ground-floor businesses. Large portions of the 67-acre site remain undeveloped.
A July 14 Council vote removed a major obstacle for the next piece. The Council approved PR 26-736, the Hill East Phase II Bundle 2 Disposition Term Sheet Amendment Approval Resolution of 2026. The action revised the business terms under which R13 Community Partners would develop parcels C, E and H at 1900 Massachusetts Ave. SE. Plans call for townhouses, multifamily and mixed-use buildings, a hotel and a public park on Parcel E. Earlier development materials described more than 1,200 homes, about 60,000 square feet of retail and a 150-room hotel, although final numbers can change through design and zoning.
The amendment responds to higher construction costs and a difficult lending market. It extends the development period for each parcel from 30 to 32 months after commencement and changes responsibility for the park. Under the revised arrangement, the District would construct the park and lease it to the developer for 25 years. The city has also programmed substantial public spending for streets and park work serving Hill East Phase II.
That public contribution drove Council debate. Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) opposed the resolution; Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D) and at-large Councilmember Robert White (At-Large-D) voted present. Allen questioned shifting the park obligation to taxpayers and the opportunity cost of roughly $35 million in capital spending. Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder (D) argued that rejection risked another stalled Ward 7 project and further delay to promised amenities. Committee Chair Matt Frumin (Ward 3-D) said tight capital and rising costs had made the original terms difficult to execute.
Approval does not put shovels in the ground by itself. The parties still must execute a land disposition agreement, complete zoning review and secure financing, permits and final designs. But the resolution is consequential because it keeps the selected development team and project structure alive after economic conditions undermined the original terms. The next evidence of real momentum will be an executed agreement, a zoning filing and a construction team and schedule.
The Guard Changes at The Armory
The newest development concerns a property that was not included in the federal transfer of the main RFK campus. The National Park Service (NPS) has asked the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) to approve a transfer of administrative jurisdiction over the approximately 9.4-acre DC Armory (2001 East Capitol St. SE). NCPC has placed the item on its Sept. 3 consent calendar.
This transfer is different than RFK Campus. In this case, administrative jurisdiction would pass to the District, but the federal government would retain title to the underlying land. The proposal would give the city day-to-day control of the site and position it to coordinate the Armory with adjacent redevelopment. But the NCPC action will not decide the future of the building or its future use.
The DC National Guard, headquartered at the Armory, is considering relocation as construction expands around RFK. An 80-acre area at the federally owned Armed Forces Retirement Home in Northwest Washington has been reported as a possible destination, but no final relocation decision has been announced. The National Guard did not return a request for comment.
The second set of questions concerns the Armory itself. The 1941 building is both a military facility and a large civic venue managed for events. District control raises possibilities for continued public-event use, renovation or integration into the RFK campus. So far, the city has not commented on future uses.
Officials will also need to explain and explore what limitations are placed on the federally-owned land, how historic-preservation review would apply and whether future decisions would require additional federal approval.
Finally, will the Armory receive its own transparent public process, or be folded into the stadium campus after key decisions are made? Councilmember Felder told the Hill Rag that he believed that some community consultation should proceed any decision-making.
Whatever happens, the view east of 17th Street is set to change dramatically over the next decade. And Hill East is no longer waiting on a single master plan. It is now confronting overlapping projects with different leads, approval processes and timelines. The question now is not simply whether development moves forward, but whether the District can coordinate the pieces and keep the public involved before change makes choices harder to revisit.
