Approving a (Sort of) Paradise in Place of a Parking Lot

Ballpark and Beyond is from Jacqueline Dupree's blog on development in Near Southeast Washington, an area between Capitol Hill and the Anacostia River that is being transformed by the construction of the Nationals baseball stadium.

Last Thursday, the National Capital Planning Commission gave its "does not adversely effect federal interests" approval to a recent zoning amendment that allows temporary surface parking lots on various blocks near the stadium, subject to the removal from the amendment of the three Canal Park parcels whose inclusion had elicited a hue and cry from residents.

Also, it requested that any of the temporary lots on waterfront parcels be set back a minimum of 75 feet from the Anacostia River shoreline, and that the final order of the text amendment make clear that the five-year cap on these lots cannot be extended via a Board of Zoning Adjustment special exception.

The commission staff reported in its presentation that the Office of Planning will indeed modify the amendment to take out Reservation 17 Parcels B, C and D (the Canal Park blocks) before the Zoning Commission's final vote July 30. This is what Canal Park fans and Ward 6 council member Tommy Wells had been requesting.

(However, a new splash of cold water came two days later: At a Friday hearing on the dissolution of the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation and the National Capital Revitalization Corporation, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Neil O. Albert called "totally incorrect" the recent reports that Canal Park construction would begin in August. Valerie Santos Young, the chief operating officer in the deputy mayor's office, said that negotiations are continuing with the owners of the parking lots now on the site, but no agreements to close the lots have been reached.)

There was a slightly curt exchange between two of the commissioners during the discussion of the parking situation, regarding why the new U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters can't make some accommodation to allow public parking in its underground lot (as the Ronald Reagan building does). As is now so often the case in this city, "Sept. 11" was the answer.

The commission also approved partial design plans for the redevelopment of the Southeast Federal Center site (now dubbed the Yards). The submittal covered streetscape, landscape and infrastructure improvement designs, and the plans for the first four developments on the site: renovation of two historic buildings to create 430 residential units, the renovation of a third building into a 46,000-square-foot retail space and the construction of two buildings at Fourth and M streets that would have 320,000 square feet of office space, a grocery store and more than 170 apartments.

Work on the streetscape and infrastructure improvements will be starting this summer, and 170 apartments and the retail building should be available in 2009. This plan will also be in front of the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts for its approval today.

Water, Sewer Special Assessment

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With the area between South Capitol and First streets north of the Nationals ballpark apparently in need of $15.45 million in improvements to its water and sewer infrastructure, the City Council is working on a bill to create a special assessment to fund the cost. It was decided to take care of these upgrades now because the streets that the pipes lie under -- Potomac Avenue and South Capitol, First, N, and I streets SE -- are already scheduled to be reconstructed as part of a streetscape improvement project in advance of the April 2008 stadium opening. It was thought best to take care of the sewer work now rather than having to dig up newly renovated streets later.

Landowners would be assessed based on total land area and the gross building area as allowed by zoning for each parcel of land that abuts or benefits from the improvements, and would be able to pay their assessment either in an upfront lump sum or over time.

With the city contributing $3 million toward the project upfront and another $4.1 million to cover the assessments on public properties, the other landowners will end up funding $8.35 million of the project cost through this assessment.

It should be noted that the water and sewer improvements for the stadium itself have already been taken care of, and similar improvements for the Yards and the Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg redevelopment project will be handled through their payment-in-lieu-of-taxes funding programs.

Bonds to Fund Anacostia Projects

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At the July 10 City Council session, an emergency resolution was passed to allow the issuing of bonds that will bring $140 million to fund various Anacostia waterfront projects, including Diamond Teague Park and the waterfront park at the Yards. The money is coming from the PILOT agreement for the Department of Transportation headquarters, which sits on federal land that can't be taxed by the city.

A tidbit from the resolution: One of the projects listed as needing this funding is a new ferry pier at Diamond Teague Park, across the street from the ballpark. I've been hearing rumors lately that the Anacostia Waterfront Corp. has hopes of getting the pier built by Opening Day 2008; there's scuttlebutt that the permit applications have already been filed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Jacqueline Dupree, a Post staff member and Ward 6 resident, has been tracking changes in the area since 2003. For updates and links, go tohttp://www.jdland.com/dc.