An artist’s rendering of the DC United Stadium Site. (Photo Courtesy DC United)

Tommy Wells, the Ward 6 Councilmember and mayoral candidate, wants affordable housing to be a part of the city’s already behind-schedule deal to build a D.C. United soccer stadium at Buzzard Point, likely, through a land swap involving the Reeves Center on 14th Street NW.

“The soccer stadium deal needs to include affordable workforce housing,” Wells said in a release today. “Workforce housing is designed to be affordable for our police officers, firefighters, teachers, construction workers and working families. With D.C.’s affordable housing stock decreasing at a record rate, we must use these projects — where government assets are involved — to leverage the development of more workforce housing, especially in neighborhoods that have seen the greatest decline.”

Wells’ spokesperson Jack Pfeiffer says the Councilmember met with City Administrator Allen Lew earlier this week to discuss the stadium deal. There, he brought up several concerns and requests, including the want for affordable housing and public transportation plans.

While developer Akridge would likely benefit most from building condos on the Reeves Center site, Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) wants to see an office building. “I know it’s more of a challenge. I know people would rather have easy money than hard money, but that’s what we need,” he recently told DCist.

When asked if affordable housing would make or break Wells’ support for the stadium deal, Pfeiffer said he’d let the Councilmember’s statements speak for themselves. Pfeiffer said Wells wants to make the point that affordable housing should be a priority for everyone.