D.C. Says It Has Found Parking Near Stadium

Almost 9,000 Spots Are Possible, Officials Say

Nats official Stan Kasten says the lots would be too far apart. (Marlene Karas - Ajc Staff)

District officials said yesterday that they have identified nearly 9,000 potential parking spaces near the site of a new baseball stadium in Southeast Washington, more than enough to handle sellout crowds of 41,000 when the ballpark opens in 2008.

Not all of the land for parking is under the city's control, and some of the spaces would be as far as 10 blocks away. The farthest parking lots would be a 15-minute walk from the ballpark, but city officials pledged that fans will find access convenient at the ballpark's premiere.

"We're confident it can be done. Yes, a lot of work has to happen, but there's an opportunity to create a great fan experience," said Stephen M. Green, the city's director of development, who is overseeing stadium issues for Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D).

The city's 1 1/2-hour presentation to reporters was partially motivated by criticism by the incoming Washington Nationals ownership group, which said it fears that the District government does not have an adequate transportation system and enough parking spaces.

To the family of Theodore N. Lerner, who is buying the franchise, these issues have been obscured during recent weeks as District officials have developed plans to create 1,225 on-site stadium parking spaces in new garages that will be surrounded by shops and condominiums, incoming team president Stan Kasten said.

The on-site garages would be used primarily by fans who hold the highest-priced tickets. But, Kasten said, about 7,000 spaces could be needed for sellout crowds.

RFK Stadium, where the Nationals are playing through next season, has 10,000 parking spaces, but there are no major lots near the new ballpark.

"It's not simply enough to build a stadium, plop it down and hope that it works," Kasten said in a recent interview. "Part of that is having the ability to get there easily and to park conveniently. That's part of what will draw people there. If they think they can't get there, they will stay away."

Despite their disagreements, both sides say the ability to move fans will be critical to the stadium's success. Lerner representatives have said that roads near the stadium are narrow and that few major thoroughfares access the ballpark district. They fear an Opening Day scenario in which roads are jammed and fans are confused about where to park.

The selection of the site for the new stadium follows a decade-long trend of shoehorning new ballparks into urban sites where parking is limited and vehicle transportation is cramped. The ballpark site, near South Capitol Street and the Navy Yard, is in a formerly industrial area. The nearest Metro station -- Navy Yard -- serves only the Green Line. And the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, which takes traffic from South Capitol Street over the Anacostia River, is old and scheduled to undergo a decade-long rebuilding.

City officials said yesterday that plans are set to renovate two nearby bridges and upgrade the capacity at the Navy Yard Metro station. City and Metro officials said they expect about 45 percent to 50 percent of game-day crowds to use public transportation. That would represent a slight increase in the proportion of fans using Metro to get to RFK.

To handle the crowds, the Navy Yard station stands to undergo a $20 million renovation by Opening Day 2008 -- assuming Congress allocates the money in its 2007 budget. Stairs, elevators, kiosks and fare gates would be installed to increase the station's capacity of 5,000 people an hour to 15,000 an hour, which would match the output at the Stadium-Armory Station near RFK.