Plan Leaves Lots to Be Desired

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.

The long-awaited draft version of the new ballpark Transportation Operations and Parking Plan (TOPP) was posted last week on the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission's Web site, http://washdcsports.com. It's the document that city agencies and the Nationals will use to guide everything about movements of fans on game days, including the placement of electronic signs and exactly where pedestrians will be able to cross South Capitol Street with the least impact on the flow of traffic.

There is an open house about the TOPP from 6 to 8 tonight at 20 M St. SE. A news release says the meeting will include information stations "manned by DDOT, Sports Commission and traffic consultants to allow residents to learn about Traffic Operations and Parking; Transit, Pedestrian Access and Bikes; and Residential Parking Permits, Curbside Management (including shuttle and charter buses)."

As I plowed through the executive summary and skimmed the 55 megabytes of chapters and appendices, the headline that jumped out at me is that plans for parking lots aren't completed, something that might have been expected in this document by some residents. On the other hand, it spells out that the restricted residential-parking-only areas (similar to what's been used around RFK Stadium during events) will cover all areas between the Southeast-Southwest Freeway and the Anacostia River (except possibly a few blocks at Buzzards Point), and the portions of Capitol Hill bounded by South Capitol Street, Seventh Street SE, C Street SE and the freeway.

As has been mentioned for months, officials are trying to set up satellite parking at RFK for fans and ballpark employees, add a new Circulator line from Union Station and perhaps get water taxi service running to a new pier at the foot of First Street. But there's no updated status in the TOPP on any of these ideas -- except for RFK parking, for which they are "securing agreements," and having shuttle companies test various possible routes. They're also now looking for between 5,000 and 7,000 total parking spaces. Parking for charter buses is still being worked on as well.

At public meetings leading up to the creation of the draft, city officials emphasized that this is a working document and that changes can be made to it, not only before the stadium opens in 2008 but also in response to any new problems identified once 41,000 fans start trying to make their way to the ballpark.

Temporary Surface Lots

On July 26, with little discussion, the D.C. Zoning Commission approved plans for temporary surface parking lots to last no more than five years at the old Southeast Federal Center site south of M Street SE, now dubbed the Yards. The zoning regulations for the property allows for temporary lots, subject to review, so this was not a request rife with controversy.

The case covered three lots containing about 785 spaces. One additional lot with about 140 spaces was removed from the request at the last minute because the property line, fencing and other issues are still being negotiated with the city's Water and Sewer Authority, the lot's next-door neighbor. The National Capital Planning Commission will be reviewing this case at its meeting today, but with NCPC staff recommending approval, the Zoning Commission opted not to wait for the NCPC's action and gave its final approval.

At another meeting just before its August break, the Zoning Commission also gave final approval to the plan allowing temporary surface parking lots on various blocks near the stadium. This is the case that stirred an outcry a few weeks ago when it was discovered after the commission's preliminary approval that the language specifying the parcels included the three blocks slated for the new Canal Park project.

But with a supplemental report from the Office of Planning explicitly removing the Canal Park parcels from the amendment, and with a report from the National Capital Planning Commission indicating its support of the plan as long as the Canal Park booboo was fixed, the Zoning Commission approved the amended amendment, 3 to 0, with Commissioners John Parsons and Gregory N. Jeffries not voting (having not participated in the case). And then they passed an emergency amendment amending the original emergency amendment, just to make 100 percent sure that there were no loopholes big enough to build a parking lot on. At the same meeting, the commissioners had before them once again a proposed action to approve the planned 276-unit residential project by Camden Development at 1325 South Capitol St. SW, across from the ballpark. The major sticking point the previous two times the vote was scheduled had been the design of the building's western side, which is technically its backside but will be on full display to much of Southwest because only low-rise buildings neighbor the project site.

Commissioner Michael Turnbull had led the complaints in the previous meetings about the need to "step up" the architecture, and while he was not jumping up and down for joy at the latest revisions -- calling them "brutal at times" -- he indicated that the plans had indeed made some progress. Commissioners Parsons and Anthony Hood agreed, and the commission voted, 3 to 0, to give preliminary approval to the project, with Commissioners Carol Mitten and Jeffries not voting. The project next gets a review from the National Capital Planning Commission, and the Zoning Commission will have a final vote in the fall.

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