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Friend –

It's been quite a week. Whew! In just the last five days, the Council held a final budget vote, held two all-day public hearings on the proposed NFL stadium deal, and voted on that agreement.

And at the same time, my office has been hosting one of the best Ward 6 Weeks ever across the Ward!

If you haven't had a chance to say hi to neighbors and explore the area yet, there's still time to check out our third-annual Lemonade Stand Contest. Yes, it's as serious as it sounds: kiddos prepare delicious lemonade and pretty impressive stands, and my team and I bike around to each of them. Stop by one that's closest to you today, around Capitol Hill from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., or jump on a bike and spend your morning like us: mapping out the whole route and drinking 13 cups of lemonade!

But we've got so much more to talk about below, including what's on everyone's mind: RFK. Read on.

Miss the last newsletter? Read it here.

Council Passes an Improved Commanders Stadium Deal

Yesterday, the DC Council voted to approve a new deal to develop the 180 acres at the RFK campus, which includes a new stadium for the Washington Commanders. When the proposed deal came to the Council in late April, I was very critical because it wasn't fair or good for DC. It had to change. But I was stopped by both die-hard Commanders fans who wanted a new stadium and skeptical neighbors who shared my perspective on building an NFL stadium, and they all shared with me that the deal had to change, and they were counting on the Council to make it better. What I took from all those conversations was to fight hard to use my vote as leverage for Ward 6 and our city. I did, and I delivered a lot of change. The deal before us yesterday differs dramatically and for the better.

So much changed, including with last-minute, hard-fought negotiations Friday morning. I want to outline the changes for you, which got me to a yes:

We need to invest in Metro, not parking garages. One of the biggest faults I saw with the proposal was the plan to build 8,000 parking spots and not put a dime into expanding Metro. Rarely do we have an opportunity to build the equivalent of a small city, but building for the future isn’t focused on parking lots. It’s not up for debate that we'll have to expand and upgrade Metro, it’s just a question of how. I’ve pushed hard here and got major wins. I was able to eliminate about 2,000 spots and one of the garages. The team will also reorient the other garage locations and free up the site for a future Metro station at Oklahoma Avenue. And we're creating a new transit fund with up to $20 million annually to be used specifically to support public transit-related improvements for the RFK campus, including Metrorail and Metrobus, and improve transportation access to the RFK Campus.
Building for a sustainable future and protecting the Anacostia River. While some say this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the team, I think it’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity for how we build and design the stadium and the land around it. I insisted and locked into the deal the morning of the vote that the stadium will be designed, constructed, and maintained in a way to achieve the highest level of sustainable and green building requirements, LEED Platinum. This will be a big part of achieving our decarbonization and net-zero goals. Further, I added protections for the Anacostia River, stormwater, and environmental standards to guard against potential waivers or exemptions from DC law. The proximity to the river was one of the main reasons this site was selected in the first place, and it's crucial we protect these spaces. With these changes, we’re going to be proud to say that DC and the Commanders will be national leaders on the environment and set the pace for everyone else.
Deliver on promises of new and affordable housing. Some of the initial promises about creating affordable housing sounded good at first, but once we dug deeper, there was little to ensure they would actually deliver. I pushed hard to ensure that promises made would be kept. New homes and residents coming are, frankly, some of the best parts of the deal. But if we're giving the land to the team essentially for free, I wanted the deal to say the developer couldn’t come right back for even more housing subsidies from the city – that's double-dipping. It's now written in that they can't get more. We also sped up the time to build the new homes (with penalties if they miss it). I think we can do even more on this front before the final vote in September, and I know there are several of my colleagues who agree.
Better return on DC's investment. While the District taxpayer is on the hook for a large subsidy, I wanted to see a greater return of tax revenue into the city's budget. The changes made with tax revenue (such as revenue sharing with parking garages, sales tax at the stadium, and better financing decisions) will bring back nearly $800M in additional revenue to the District to help pay for all the things we need for our city and our residents. One area I wish had changed, though, is an exemption on sales tax for the team selling personal seat licenses – that's tens of millions of dollars we're leaving on the table, but an amendment to fix that failed, in spite of my support.
Good jobs, good pay. How many times did we hear the Mayor and team cite the number of jobs that could be created? More than 14,000 jobs were cited at one point. Well, I needed to see commitments that protected workers with good pay, good benefits, and labor protections. That comes in the form of project labor agreements (PLAs) and labor peace agreements (LPAs). This was a bright line for many of us on the Council, and I’ve seen firsthand how we use this in major projects to protect high-quality, well-paid jobs with rights. Getting those agreements was crucial to me and had to get done. The final agreements were signed just hours before we voted, and I appreciate the team and labor leaders for working tirelessly over the last few days to land this commitment.
Keeping The Fields at RFK open! I shared this with you all earlier, but after we learned that The Fields were at risk of closing throughout construction, I demanded that the Commanders keep them open and make that commitment in writing within the deal. They have, and in addition, will make room on the site to protect DC Vault and the skate park.
Making sure Ward 6 is a priority. And while the RFK Stadium is located in Ward 7, Ward 6 is only a couple of blocks away and will be impacted significantly. So, I was able to make sure Ward 6 small business CBEs were named in the contracting prioritization goals to give local businesses a leg up. I ensured that Ward 6 leadership will be represented in the decision-making for the $50 million Community Benefit Fund and its oversight. And perhaps just as importantly, I added language to the deal to protect nearby neighborhoods from traffic and parking, including residential parking enforcement on event days that happen on Sundays (you know, when NFL football games happen). And while I have the team committed to reassessing their traffic plans, the Commanders' initial transportation plans projected 4,500 vehicles per hour coming through Ward 6 neighborhoods. DDOT has a responsibility to address that, and they will now, in concert with our Ward 6 ANCs.

The stadium has been the hot topic of conversation for months now. I heard about it from many Ward 6 neighbors, with some people telling me to vote no, no matter what, but many more urging me to fight to improve the deal. If I were given full control, this is not the plan I would embrace, and ideally, I wouldn't want a stadium on the site. But as one of 12 legislators and the Mayor ultimately driving this plan forward, I pushed hard with the team and my colleagues to secure many important changes in good faith.

The final vote is scheduled for Sept. 17, and there's more work to do. Still, this deal is a significant step forward for the stadium site, which has never come close to reaching its full potential, given it's 180 acres of space. It will create new homes. It will create new businesses and activate the area. It will create jobs – good, union-paying jobs – during construction and afterward. And while you won't convince me that the stadium will be as active as it should be, I want this to set a new standard while benefiting the surrounding community.

The Budget's Finished: Here's What's in it for Ward 6!

On Monday, the Council held our second and final vote on the budget. I have updates below on some of the bigger debates of the day, but for Ward 6 neighbors, here are some of the investments you can look forward to:

Rumsey Pool Gets Fully Funded (again): The long-overdue modernization of Rumsey Pool is fully funded, including the full cost of adding a second floor and building a new indoor pool that will serve as a community anchor on Capitol Hill. I found additional funding, yet again, after it was clear that DGS and DPR's estimates for the project were cutting short a full second-floor addition.
Major School Modernizations Move Forward: Renovations for Brent, Chisholm, J.O. Wilson, and Ludlow-Taylor elementary schools continue on schedule. While Amidon-Bowen’s modernization was delayed by DCPS until a swing space solution is in place, I’m working closely with the school community and agency partners to keep this project on track.
Improvements at Eastern Market: Maintenance at historic Eastern Market will move ahead on schedule. This was funding that had been zeroed out in the budget, but I was able to restore it. The budget also includes funding to install retractable bollards to enhance both safety and the market’s welcoming feel.
Faster Progress on the NoMa Tunnel: The pedestrian tunnel connecting the NoMa Metro to Union Market and Florida Avenue will now break ground three years earlier than planned, an important step for one of the busiest stations in the city.
Activating Public Spaces at EMMP and H Street: We’re continuing funding for two popular grants that support fun community programming and events at Eastern Market Metro Park and along H Street NE. In the second year of the H Street funding, we're working with the District's small business agency to target the funding more directly to assist with creating new events on the corridor and marketing the area.
Final Funding for Southwest Town Center Park: The park’s design is nearly complete, and this budget delivers the final funding needed to break ground on what will be a centerpiece of Southwest’s public space network. I'm excited for what this new public space will deliver for Southwest and glad to have it fully funded.
More Public Restrooms in the Right Places: We’re going to be adding another public Throne restroom near Watkins Elementary to support families using the school, splash park, new playground coming online soon, and sports fields. The Throne public restrooms have been a popular and successful addition to Eastern Market Metro Park, and we need restrooms at Watkins, too. We also found funding to continue the one at Eastern Market Metro Park. A note, though: that restroom is currently closed due to the fallout from congressional cuts to the District's current year budget. We expect it will reopen soon.
A New Chapter for Lovejoy Park: This small but beloved park in Northeast, just off Maryland Avenue, will get long-overdue upgrades to its playground and walking paths.
Support for Businesses Affected by Major Construction: We secured dedicated funding to help businesses impacted by long-term projects at Pennsylvania & Potomac avenues and on Barracks Row.
Planning for Life After the Streetcar: With the Mayor's cut to the Streetcar, transportation on H Street is going to change. At the same time, with the RFK stadium's development going ahead and possibly a new metro station coming along the north end of the campus, we must have world-class transit. I've secured funding to study the best approach for connecting Union Station to the stadium and down to Benning Road NE.
Keeping the Pop-Up Permit Program Going: We’re continuing to fund the Department of Buildings’ Pop-Up Permit program, designed to speed up business openings in vacant storefronts like those along H Street NE. If you’re a commercial property owner, I’d love to connect you with this resource.

Update on Initiative 82 Implementation

As part of the FY26 budget, the Council amended this voter-approved initiative. This has been a hot topic, and I worked with my colleague, Councilmember Christina Henderson, to craft a compromise that I want to share more about with you. Just two weeks ago, we'd fought back efforts to fully repeal the initiative and another to lower and freeze workers' wages. I would not and could not support either. But I'd also heard from so many of our local restaurants that the initiative, as passed, was creating increasing pressures they couldn't keep up with. Add to that a new federal law that allows workers to avoid income taxes on a significant portion of their tipped income, and we needed to consider all these factors to make some changes. The amendment the Council passed makes several changes to I-82's implementation:

Pauses the tipped minimum wage increases, but converts it to a percentage of the full minimum wage, so it will now be guaranteed to go up each year;
Every two years after the pause, the gap between tipped and standard minimum wage will automatically close another 5% until it reaches 75%;
Restaurants will be required to disclose more information to workers for paycheck transparency to help prevent wage theft, including income broken out by base wages, tips, and service charges; and
Regular reporting by the Chief Financial Officer will review the industry, workforce, wages, and other metrics to have an independent analysis, including what it would look like in the future to fully eliminate the tipped minimum.

Our goal in striking this compromise was to avoid the full repeal, while recognizing our restaurants are struggling with labor costs. This offers stability and predictability for workers and restaurants alike, and like any compromise, no one sector was entirely happy with the outcome. There isn't an issue I hear from more with our local, neighborhood restaurants than the cost of labor, which has them very concerned about how long they can stay open. I've met with many workers who support I-82 fully and many who prefer the tipped minimum wage and believe I-82 limits how much they can earn. I know voters care about this issue, and I also hear a lot of frustration from residents about service fees and higher costs on their bills. As a legislator, I take seriously that I need to be able to understand the impacts of policy changes, how they are impacting workers and businesses, and be able to amend and respond as the situation warrants. By no means was this a perfect solution, but it continues to advance the closure of the tipped minimum wage while recognizing the real-time challenges we were all hearing from our local neighborhood restaurants.

Repairing the Budget for Transportation and the Environment

As Chair of the Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment, I’m proud to share that every major recommendation we advanced made it into the final FY26 budget and was approved Monday. This includes big wins for safer streets, climate resilience, better transit, healthier and more affordable homes, and cleaner rivers. We’re tackling dangerous driving by funding the rest of the new enforcement tools under my STEER Act (Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education, and Responsibility), restoring funding to the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund – which Chairman Mendelson supported further at the full Council by adding more funding – and Anacostia River cleanup programs, and delivering major investments in sidewalks, bike lanes, buses, and Metro.

Notably, the Council stood strong against any delays or changes to two of our strongest energy efficiency laws, despite lobbying efforts. I was in close communication with my colleagues to be sure they understood how important these laws are to our future. Even in the face of serious budget cuts to funding for helping low-income households benefit from clean energy, these laws will continue to reduce the District's dependence on fossil fuels and the amount of carbon we emit.

When we initially received the Mayor's budget, we saw drastic cuts to all of these important efforts. I'm thankful for every person who shared their concerns with the Council, to my Committee staff for the hard work that went into repairing these budget items, and to my colleagues for believing in the future of the District's environment and transportation system.

A Great Ward 6 Week!

Thank you to everyone who's come out to make this year's Ward 6 Week one to remember! Whether you baked a cake for our Cake in the Park event (i.e. Hill's Kitchen, given the rain), attended a tour at the Congressional Cemetery, met the DC United players, explored the Capital Jewish Museum, packed meals at DC Central Kitchen, played trivia, toured DDOT's sign-making shop, or stopped by any other event to say hi to us or neighbors, I appreciate it. My team and I loved seeing each of you – and many of you said it was your first time coming to a Ward 6 Week event! If you missed it, we'll be back with more fun next summer around the same time. (And remember that throughout the year, I also hold office hours in the Ward, both in the morning and evening.) So, I hope to see you around, and for those of you joining us today at the Lemonade Stand Contest and Ward 6 Night with the Nats, see you soon!

Juvenile Curfew Zone Set for Southwest this Weekend

Chief of Police Pamela Smith announced she has established a Juvenile Curfew in Southwest, bound by I-395/Southwest Freeway to the north, South Capitol Street SW to the east, Anacostia River and P Street SW to the south, and 2nd Street SW and the Washington Channel to the west.

The Juvenile Curfew Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 gives the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department the authority to order a Juvenile Curfew Zone in an area where large groups of youth are gathering or intend to gather in a manner that poses a risk of substantial harm to public safety.

Safe Passages for Students and the Community

This week, I joined Ward 7 Councilmember Felder, State Board of Education members Brandon Best (Ward 6) and Eboni-Rose Thompson (Ward 7), and Eastern High School's incoming principal, Principal Dr. Benjamin Williams, for a community walk around the Ward 7 high school, where many Ward 6 students finish DCPS. We heard from educators, administrators, and, importantly, the people who make up the Safe Passage team. You may have seen these teams here or where you live and commute: People wearing green vests help students get safely to and from school. It's clear that the people focusing on Eastern High School are intentional with both the students' safety and the people who make up the surrounding community. I'm hopeful there's a great year ahead for Eastern students, and welcome, Dr. Williams!

A Note on Why Your Pepco Bill is So High

Our office is starting to get more calls about Pepco bills that have increased significantly this month. There are a few factors to keep an eye out for, and of course, you can always call Pepco and have them double-check the math. But some of the other cost drivers are worth explaining, as there are ways to counteract them.

First, a rate increase began in June. The cause of this is regional, but it has a lot to do with both the mismanagement of our regional grid, which has led to a big increase in demand, and not enough supply. I'll come back to this point, but moving forward, most bills are going to increase by close to 18%!

Second, July is a 39-day billing cycle, so it's going to include more usage.

Third, given the heat, it takes more energy to maintain the same levels of indoor temperature. This is where taking steps to make your home more efficient, such as bumping up the thermostat, comes in. I'm intentionally listing this one third because while personal steps can make a difference, they aren't nearly as able to effect change as the first item can.

To expand a bit more on that first item, one of the reasons our regional grid has had to increase rates dramatically is because it has dragged its feet on adding capacity, in particular renewables, that would anticipate and account for major increases in usage that are largely being driven by the many data centers coming online in Virginia for AI.

The fastest way for the District and DC residents to protect ourselves from these rate increases is to create more energy right here within our borders, which reduces the amount of energy Pepco needs to purchase from outside. We will likely never generate enough energy to meet our needs entirely, but there's a lot of progress we could be making. That's why I was so frustrated by the Mayor's proposed cuts to the District's Sustainable Energy Trust Fund, which includes direct investment in new renewable energy generation. Securing more DC Green Bank funding and eventually enabling the DC Green Bank to utilize bond funding would help solve this problem in the long term.

Need Help with Higher Energy Costs?

We've all watched our energy costs go up this summer, and as one bill gets higher, the rest of the budget gets even tighter.

Pepco has partnered with the Salvation Army to launch the Pepco Customer Relief fund, a one-time financial support for people struggling with high energy costs. Learn more about the effort here.

Curbside Changes Coming to East Capitol Street SE

I've recently been working with Grubbs Pharmacy, DDOT, our ANC, and neighbors to address an issue that's come up from a new bus stop installed at 4th and East Capitol. It unfortunately eliminated a short-term parking spot used by people picking up prescriptions, but we've found a solution. DDOT plans to create a 30-minute parking zone on the north side of the 300 block of East Capitol Street NE, and at the same time, return residential parking at the retired Metro bus stop down the block. That should result in no residential parking lost, plus a solution for a small business. I'm also working with DDOT on converting all the retired bus stops on East Capitol back to residential parking, and they tell me that will likely happen this fall.

Residents can comment on these changes through Sept. 4.

Happy Birthday!

This week, we celebrated two remarkable neighbors at Unique Rehabilitation & Health Center in Ward 6. Happy birthday to Grace and Lucille!

Grace Davis, 101

A native Washingtonian and 1939 graduate of Dunbar High, Dr. Davis earned her bachelor’s from Miner Teachers College (forerunner to UDC), a master’s in math education from the University of Chicago, and a doctorate in education from GWU. She spent decades teaching science and math across DC, still volunteers at Ward 6’s Second Baptist Church – where she was honored as its “oldest mother” – and continues to inspire through service.

Lucille Proctor, 103

Born in Camden, SC, Lucille has called DC home since 1961. As a working mother of seven, she balanced multiple jobs while raising her family, delighted everyone with her legendary egg custard, and always shared her faith. Her resilience and warmth uplift many.

Their milestones remind us to live healthy, purposeful lives and to cherish every community connection.

Upcoming Events

Clear the Shelters Pet Adoption Event: Today, Aug. 2 | Starting at 11 a.m. | 1201 New York Ave. NE and 4 DC Village Lane SW
Brandywine Valley SPCA (the District’s animal shelter contractor) is partnering with NBCUniversal for its annual Clear the Shelters adoption event, when adoption fees for all pets will be waived. This is a great chance to add a furry companion to your family!
DC Water Fun at DC Public Library: Wednesday, Aug. 6 | 11 a.m. to noon | Southwest Library, 900 Wesley Place SW
Join DC Water in the children's area to learn about our sewer system and watershed with your friendly local waterdrop, Wendy! Follow the journey water takes to get to your home and then how it's cleaned at the plant with STEAM activities in all three books.
Movies on the Pitch: Thursday, Aug. 7 | 8 p.m. | Audi Field (100 Potomac Ave. SW)
Enjoy a movie on the grass of Audi Field! This week's film is Inside Out 2. Tickets are free, and doors open at 7 p.m.
Free Exhibits: Saturday, Aug. 9 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | National Building Museum
Explore the museum and all of its exhibits for free!

Cheer on the Washington Spirit

You've made it through the budget, had fun during Ward 6 Week, and read the latest Ward 6 newsletter. If you've still got some energy left, why not cheer on the Spirit? Reply to this email for a chance to win tickets to our women's soccer team playing Racing Louisville on Friday, Aug. 15.

See you around the neighborhood,

Charles Allen

Councilmember Charles Allen · 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 110, Washington, DC 20004, United States
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