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New Stadium Focus Is Parking
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Williams selected the ballpark site, near the Navy Yard and South Capitol Street, because he believed the area -- mostly industrial properties interspersed with bars, auto repair shops and vacant lots -- was perfect for a major upscale redevelopment. But the area has few major roads or parking lots.
By comparison, RFK Stadium, where the Nationals will play through next year, is surrounded by several major thoroughfares and nearly 10,000 parking spots.
City planners said in July that they have identified nearly 9,000 potential parking spaces near the new ballpark. But not all of the land for parking is under the city's control, and some spaces would be as far as 10 blocks away. The farthest parking lots would be a 15-minute walk from the ballpark, an unpleasant trek for fans in the summer heat.
Nationals President Stan Kasten has repeatedly emphasized that the fan experience begins the minute the fans leave their homes or offices for the ballpark and that the team wants to make the trip as convenient as possible.
William N. Hall, head of the sports commission's baseball committee, pledged that the ballpark will not face a "FedEx situation," referring to parking and traffic problems that plagued the opening of the Washington Redskins' stadium, FedEx Field, in 1997.
The city's effort to cobble together enough parking spots is illustrated by the situation just north of the ballpark site on N Street SE. Monument Realty, a firm that owns several acres there, is building a mix of office and residential space, with underground garages for up to 900 vehicles.
Monument Vice President Russell Hines said his company would be willing to lease the garages to the city for ballpark parking in 2008 because the office buildings will not be completed until the next year. If the city's fee is high enough, Hines said, Monument might even be willing to delay construction of the offices.
"There may be a solution where we agree to delay completion of our buildings in order to provide parking until another parking solution is provided," Hines said. "There's no deal yet, but we're willing to talk."
