See the latest renderings for the first piece of the RFK Stadium site redevelopment

On Wednesday, D.C. officials kicked off the first phase of the $489 million redevelopment of the long-untapped Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium campus near the Anacostia River.

The entire site is 190 acres, but the redevelopment’s inaugural component covers only 27. It currently consists of surface parking spaces, which will be transformed into three artificial turf fields and other community amenities. This element of the project is estimated to cost more than $30 million, and the fields are anticipated to open in March.

“The layout includes one youth soccer field, two baseball diamonds, two full soccer fields and two lacrosse fields with bleacher seating for approximately 300 people,” says Events DC, the District’s sports and entertainment authority, in a release. “In addition, there will be a picnic area and playground, as well as a 6,000-square-foot pavilion with food and beverage stations and restrooms with changing areas.”

Events DC will manage the fields along with a contractor. The authority plans to build the other parts of the RFK site redevelopment within the next five years: a market hall, an indoor sports and recreation facility, three pedestrian bridges, and a Robert F. Kennedy memorial.

Below are the most recent renderings for the recreational fields, per Events DC. The stadium itself will eventually be knocked down, but what will replace it has not been determined yet.

• D.C. will break ground on part of the RFK Stadium campus redevelopment this week [Curbed DC]
• D.C. mayor tells Washington NFL team to come ‘home’ at team luncheon [Curbed DC]