All is not lost for the proposal to build parking garages and condominiums at the Washington Nationals’ new ballpark, Mayor Anthony Williams said Monday.
“It isn’t completely dead,” the mayor said. “No.”
The submission from Herb Miller, chairman of Western Development Corp., includes two parking garages adjacent to the Southeast stadium camouflaged by condominiums, retail space and a hotel. The plan, dealt a serious blow last week when Miller rejected a contract developed by the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, is generally backed by District government leadership.
The city is in a tough position, the mayor told reporters, as it struggles to salvage the waterfront development and meet the parking space requirements demanded by an agreement with Major League Baseball. The city is obligated to provide 1,225 spaces when the South Capitol Street stadium opens in 2008.
“We’ve got to show that development’s under way very, very quickly, but at the same time we have to satisfy the need for parking,” Williams said.
Williams said talks were ongoing Monday between multiple parties. If the deal does ultimately collapse, the mayor said, the city might have no choice but to build the standalone parking garages sought by Nationals owners, but vehemently opposed by the D.C. Zoning Commission.
