A narrow majority of the D.C. Council said they do not support building a new football stadium for the Washington Commanders on the vacant RFK Stadium campus, making clear their opposition to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s efforts to woo the team to the site.

Seven of the 13 members on the D.C. Council signed a letter to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) on Thursday, insisting the dilapidated 190-acre site be redeveloped for more housing, public green spaces and new retail.

“We believe that this riverfront property, one of the last large undeveloped parcels of land in the District, must be utilized in the best interest of District residents,” the letter said. “Study after study have shown that there is no economic benefit to cities that subsidize professional football stadiums.”

Charles Allen, who represents Ward 6 on the Council, circulated the letter to his colleagues and wrote on Twitter about a new stadium, “The debate is done.”

Bowser, for her part, dismissed the letter during a press conference Thursday. “How arrogant can you be to suggest a debate is over when I’m still talking?” she said.

Any plans the District has for redeveloping RFK Stadium must first overcome significant legislative hurdles. The land is currently owned by the federal government, which means Congress must authorize a sale of the site to the city.

But Norton said she would not propose legislation that would allow the city to purchase the land unless Bowser and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson arrive at an agreement on how the plot will be used.

“My goal has always to been to give D.C. control over the RFK site to use as it sees fit,” the congresswoman said in an interview. “As long as they’re on the same page, I can get it through.”

Norton said it was in the city’s “best interest” for Bowser and Mendelson to agree on a plan for the site while Democrats control the House and Senate.

In an interview, Mendelson left open the possibility he could support a new stadium, even if a majority of his colleagues reject the idea.

“I have to be flexible in discussions with the Congresswoman, as well as the mayor,” said Mendelson, who did not sign the letter. “But certainly the representation from seven members would have to be factored.”

He said he could back a plan to bring the Commanders to the District as long as the city does not have to pay for a new stadium. But he would not support efforts to bring the team to the District until investigators release a written report on the allegations of sexual harassment within the organization.

RFK Stadium, which sits near the banks of the Anacostia River in Northeast D.C., has sat empty since D.C. United relocated to Audi Field in 2018.

Shortly after, Allen launched a campaign urging residents and his colleagues to say “Hail no” to a new stadium at RFK.

He said the councilmembers wanted to convey that they want the District to gain control of the land where RFK sits, but would not support plans for a new stadium. Any public money used to build out the site must be approved by the Council.

“You’ll have oceans of asphalt and parking lots. You’ll have a stadium that gets used a handful of days out of the year,” Allen said. “The best use for the city is to really build more city – building more neighborhoods in that space, with housing, jobs, parks.”

Councilmembers Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1), Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4), as well as at-large councilmembers Elissa Silverman (I), Robert White (D) and Christina Henderson (I) also signed the letter.

The Commanders currently play at FedEx Field in Prince George’s County, where they are expected to remain until their lease expires in 2027.

For her part, Bowser has made clear her desire to have the team play in the District. She has said a new stadium will anchor a larger project with housing, parks and retail.

Some lawmakers in Virginia have also tried to attract the Commanders to the state.

But those efforts are in jeopardy after the state legislator who put forward a bill that would have created a path to bring the Commanders to Virginia, withdrew the proposal on Thursday.

Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) pulled the plug on the bill following comments made by Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, The Washington Post reported.

Del Rio called the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol a “dust-up” compared to the protests for racial justice sparked by the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

Investigators are also probing the allegations of sexual harassment within the organization and financial mismanagement by the team.

“This obviously was not very helpful, to put it mildly, but there’s so many other things out there,” Saslaw told the Post.