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It's probably best to steer clear of me today, because I'm going to be spending the entire day mumbling profanities as I look up at the gorgeous cloudless skies. But if you want to see what the ballpark would look like if it were transported to, say, Detroit in the dead of winter, be sure to look at my photos from inside the stadium taken yesterday morning. Later today I'll put up pictures from the interior of the building, where at least the weather didn't play quite so much of a role. In the meantime, here's some quick items on the ballpark:
* The Post has two articles today on Nationals Park--one looking at the resident hiring goals that were set versus the actual number of DC workers that have been hired, plus a much lighter look at yesterday's testing of the plumbing system, aka "Super Flush."
* A few people have written to ask me about news that has been mentioned either on the radio or in an MLB.com video that the first game at Nationals Park will actually be a March 22 game between George Washington University and St. Joseph's. GW's schedule shows the game as being played in Arlington, and I've seen no official word anywhere on this game, but the rumor is out there. Nationals owner Ted Lerner is a GW graduate and patron.
* I've also been asked lately about newer renderings of the stadium that no longer show the big baseball on top of the outfield restaurant (which is now called the "Red Porch Restaurant"). It is indeed no longer part of the ballpark plans. The cherry blossom trees will still be coming, though!
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Sometimes you have to use your camera in the weather you have, not the weather you wish you had.
So, alas my first visit inside Nationals Park in more than three months came today, with heavy clouds and dampness in the air. Waaaaaaah! But at least these photos only have to last another five weeks or so.
I'm going to do this in two batches: tonight, enjoy a new lineup of photos of the ballpark's field and the seating areas. (I left a few from November sprinkled in, so that the pretty green turf and a smidgen of actual sunlight could be seen here or there.) There's also a slew of new very very large stitched-together panoramas from various vantage points, if you're wanting much closer views of the stadium's interior--there are links to them from the page above, or from the Stadium Panoramas page. They do take a long time to load, so be patient. (You can look at the exterior photos I posted two weeks ago if you can't bear the gray-itude of these shots and need sun and blue skies.)
Tomorrow I'll have for you a series of photos from the park's innards, including the restaurants and the locker room.
UPDATE: I forgot the best side-story of the day: Today was also "Super Flush", when the plumbing team brings in a bunch of people to flush the toilets at the same time to test the pipes. (And, not to be ungrateful, but perhaps my preference might have been that a big "Super Flush" banner not be running in HD on the scoreboard during all my photos.)
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The rumors have abounded for many months that Onyx on First would be scrapping its original configuration as a condo building. As recently as November I couldn't get co-developer Faison to comment, but in today's WBJ/On Site piece (subscribers only) on the residential market in Near Southeast, there's the following: "But Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund and its partner, Faison, converted the project to apartments eight months ago, says Don Deutsch, Faison's senior managing director. Those apartments will be available for leasing in September."
The article also says that Monument Realty hasn't yet decided whether its 340 residential units on Half Street just north of the ballpark will be condos or apartments.
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I believe it's only available to subscribers, but if you've got any way to get your hands on this week's Washington Business Journal, you'll probably want to see the quarterly magazine "On Site" that's included--seven stories on development around the ballpark, as well as a big map showing all the plans over the next few years (what a great idea!). Stories on Monument Realty and on the plans for The Yards, an interview with Michael Stevens of the BID ("Preaching Patience in Washington Nationals' New Neighborhood"), a piece highlighting how residential developers are feeling bullish about the area, and even a short profile of some pesky neighborhood blogger who's been tracking the area since 2003. I haven't read all the stories yet (it's gonna take a while!), so if I find some nuggets that I haven't covered here in the past, I'll post them.
UPDATE: Also, the March issue of Washingtonian is hitting the stands (though the articles won't be online for a while), with articles on the ballpark and also on the planned residential projects nearby.
 

As the clock ticks toward Opening Day (38 days away!), it's normal to be wondering about the status of some of the other projects near the ballpark. I've just gotten an update from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development on Diamond Teague Park, the planned public plaza with water taxi piers on the banks of the Anacostia just across from the stadium's grand staircase at First and Potomac. The design of the park is being finalized, but you can see recent site maps and renderings on my project page (there are also links to enlarged versions of those images for better viewing).
The city is continuing to work with the Army Corps of Engineers to get permits for the piers. After the Army Corps signs off, some DC permits will need to be approved, and then construction on the park's first phase can begin--this will include all of the "in-water improvements" (i.e., the piers) and the portion of the park that's closest to the waterline. It's expected that this first phase will be completed by the time winter arrives in late 2008. The northern portion of the park site sits on land controlled by WASA, and must wait for those operations to be relocated before that part of the park can be built.
In the meantime, the park site will be "beautified" for Opening Day, with plans for a bit of a cleanup, new plantings, sandstone, etc.
As for the RiverFront site next door (which we all know as Florida Rock but which the developers want me to call either "FRP" or "RiverFront" to prevent confusion between themselves [Florida Rock Properties/FRP Development Corp.] and the not-involved-with-developing-the-site Florida Rock Industries)--I've been told that new fences will be put up around the site by Opening Day, to pretty things up a bit along that stretch as well.
 

My Ballpark and Beyond column in today's District Extra of the Post covers last week's release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for South Capitol Street, the impending closure of Metro's Southeastern Bus Garage at Half and M, tonight's zoning hearing on allowing additional temporary surface parking lots in Southwest, and a reminder about today's ballpark job fair.
(And I've been under the weather the past few days, hence the somewhat brief updates.)
 

* City Paper points us to a new blog by the WashTimes tracking all the news surrounding the Pope's April visit to the United States. Including, of course, the April 17 mass at Nationals Park. There's also the news that a 14-foot-tall crucifix from St. Mark's Church in Hyattsville has been selected to be displayed at the stadium mass.
* Nats320 continues with its series of, um, lengthy interviews, this time with the man whose company is going to be "dressing" the ballpark.
* I'm not sure why some news organizations are only now reporting this (since it was announced last week), but in case you missed it, single-game tickets for Nats games go on sale March 4.
* On Feb. 28, there's a gathering planned for people to share stories of the gay businesses along O Street SE that were shut down to make way for the ballpark.
* Check the stadium web cam's images from last night to see the ballpark's lights all turned on.
 

Tim Lemke of the Washington Times takes a look at today's Examiner editorial about the full cost of Nationals Park, which the Examiner says is now reaching $759 million but which may be reached thanks to, Tim says, "a few factual errors and a misleading statement."
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From the Capitol Riverfront BID, word of a Happy Hour on Thursday (Feb. 21) being given by the Velocity Condos folks (so they just might possibly want to give you all the scoop about their offerings). It's at Sonoma (223 Pennsylvania Ave., SE) from 6 to 8 pm. There's also another one scheduled for March 13.
 

A reminder that the second Nationals Job Fair for part-time and seasonal employement at the ballpark is scheduled for Thursday (Feb. 21) from 10 am to 2 pm at King Greenleaf Recreational Center at 201 N St., SW. Some highlights:
* The positions, most of which are part-time and seasonal, are open to persons ages 18 and older (including senior citizens).
* The Nationals are going to be looking with particular interest at residents of Ward 6 who will not need parking to get to jobs at the stadium.
* Residents who have little work experience but who are "reliable and willing workers" will be considered for positions that they have the skills for.
You can read the original announcement post at Tommy Wells's site for additional details.
More than 2,500 people showed up at the first fair on Feb. 9, according to the Post.
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A shocking investigative report from NBC4, entitled "Parking May Be Tight At Nationals' New Stadium": "In just about 40 days, the Washington Nationals' new ballpark along the Anacostia River is set to open its gates for more than 40,000 fans. But while the stadium is expected to be ready, parking could still be a problem, News4's Tom Sherwood reported." Thank heavens that the lack of parking has finally been uncovered by the media, since it hasn't been talked about at all up to now. Coming soon, news organizations break the astonishing story that not all of Near Southeast will be built out and available for residents and visitors by Opening Day.
(Oh, come on, I get to be sarcastic once in a while!)
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If you haven't checked the Stadium Web Cam in the past few days (or sneaked a peek through the gap on South Capitol Street), you haven't seen the fun "Nationals Park" lettering now added across the top of the scoreboard. There are also red seats now being installed below the outfield restaurant.
I'm also hearing that this is the week that the traffic and parking plans for Opening Day are going to be released, so watch this space for the latest on that.
UPDATE: Looks like one of Channel 9's staffers got a ballpark tour on Friday--he's posted a few pictures.
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Saw one of these signs pointing cyclists to the ballpark for the first time today--I think they've only gone up in the past week or so. (This was on Fourth St., SE, just north of Pennsylvania Ave.) Sorry for the lousy quality--it was dusk and my camera phone wasn't cooperating. But you get the idea. (UPDATED with a better photo, finally.)
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Feb 16, 2008 1:38 AM
From the WashTimes: "D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray yesterday said a new soccer stadium at Poplar Point would help alleviate parking problems across the Anacostia River at the Nationals new ballpark. 'We have a horrific parking problem with the Nationals stadium,' Gray said. 'I'm not sure people know how close Poplar Point is. If we coordinate schedules, we could actually have parking for D.C. United used for the Nationals as well.' [...] Conceivably, Gray said, fans heading to Nationals game could walk from Poplar Point across a pedestrian walkway on one of the bridges crossing the Anacostia."
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Feb 15, 2008 10:28 AM
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement that describes two alternatives for reconfiguring South Capitol Street from just south of Firth Sterling Avenue north to I-395 has now been released, and is available online: there's the compact executive summary for folks who just want the basics, or the full shebang, with 80-plus chapters, appendices, and reports. Note that this draft EIS does not include a final choice for the design of the new Douglass Bridge that would be built to the southwest of the current bridge, though that decision will be made with the final EIS. (I'm a fan of the arched bascule design, because I'm old school.) There's no way I'm going to try to provide a comprehensive overview of what this project is envisioning, so here's some bullet points:
* For Near Southeast, both build alternatives would reconfigure the intersection with the SE/SW Freeway, replacing the existing ramp that begins at I Street with an at-grade intersection underneath the freeway that would have two left-turn lanes to a new ramp. With the removal of the existing ramp to I-395, the intersection and South Capitol and I would also be reconfigured. Also included in this project would be streetscape improvements to New Jersey Avenue, with two travel lanes and two parking lanes and much wider tree-lined sidewalks.
* The main differences between the alternatives for this northern stretch of South Capitol Street are the intersections with Potomac Avenue and with M Street. At Potomac Avenue, there would be either a reconfigured signalized intersection or a large traffic oval connecting South Capitol, Potomac, Q Street, and the new Douglass Bridge. At M Street, a decision will be made between keeping the current underpass for north/south traffic or replacing it with an at-grade intersection. And, in the second build alternative, the K and L street intersections would be opened to cross traffic. There are also many changes planned for South Capitol Street and the Suitland Parkway south of the Douglass Bridge, which are spelled out in the Alternatives section if you're interested. (I'm waiting for a reply from DDOT about whether portions of each build alternative can be chosen a la carte to create a final alternative. UPDATE: As was the case with the 11th Street Bridges EIS, the final plans can indeed take some portions of one alternative and some from the other. So it's possible, as an example, that the traffic oval from alternative #2 could be chosen, but the unchanged M Street intersection from alternative #1 could be chosen, too.
* Depending on which alternatives and which bridge design is chosen, the Draft EIS puts the estimated costs for this project at anywhere between $508 million and $781 million. Flyers given out at the Anacostia Waterfront Community Fair last month indicated that construction on the new Douglass Bridge could begin in 2010, with completion in 2015. The Draft EIS doesn't seem to lay out any timeline for completion of the entire South Capitol Street project.
There are two public meetings planned to discuss the Draft EIS: on March 4 at Birney Elementary School, 2501 Martin Luther King Jr., Ave., SE, and on March 5 at Amidon Elementary School, 401 I St., SW. Both will run from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. The public comment period ends on March 31, and methods for submitting your comments are spelled out on the report site. You can also see print versions of the Draft EIS at a number of local libraries in the area.
 

Feb 15, 2008 8:59 AM
Today's Washington Business Journal has a long piece about legislation making its way through the city council that would require site-specific permits for street vendors and that would create "development zones", "essentially specific geographic areas with a uniform design standard that would be established through a partnership of DCRA, neighborhoods and their business improvement districts." The Capitol Riverfront BID plans on applying to make the area around the ballpark such a zone. The article has quotes from the Nationals and the BID about what sort of vending they'd like to see. Gregory McCarthy of the Nationals says that the team thinks "it's in the city's interest to have a good fan experience and to have vending around the ballpark be regulated in a reasonable manner -- but also be of sufficient quality." Michael Stevens of the BID says that vendors shouldn't sell items that compete with those inside the ballpark: "I want to see a variety of vending food options, drink options. I'd like better-looking carts, [although] I don't know what that means yet." If the bill is not passed by Opening Day, "licensed vendors could set up shop at any site that meets current regulations for vendors -- which include such requirements as not obstructing the right of way for pedestrians. Near the stadium that could include spots along M, N, Half and First streets SE."
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Feb 14, 2008 5:12 PM
A bit on the run this afternoon, so I have to be brief: today Metro's Finance, Administration, and Oversight committee gave approval to two items I wrote about earlier this week: the plans to expand to nights and weekends the N22 bus service that shuttles between Union Station, Eastern Market, and the Navy Yard Metro station (the Post says until 10:30 on weeknights--hope that's late enough for baseball), and to move around some money to allow for the closure of the Southeastern Bus Garage at Half and M. Here's the WMATA press release on the garage closure, and do read my previous entry for additional details and links to WMATA documents. These two items are expected to be given final approval by the full WMATA board on Feb. 28.
Stadium parking aficianados should note that the closure of the bus garage--in addition to lessening the chance for "encounters" between buses and pedestrians--will open up two existing lots in the "Red Zone" just north of the ballpark, as well as space within the garage itself and just to its south. Also, WMATA has been using a surface parking lot at Buzzards Point that would be vacated with this move. There's no word at this point on when exactly the garage will be vacated, and if the space will be used for parking this season.
 

Feb 14, 2008 5:04 PM
Since I posted that NBC4 story crowing about a deal, I feel it necessary to follow up with this from the Post this afternoon: "Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said today that no deal has been struck to use public funds to build a professional soccer stadium in Southeast Washington. He also said his talks with D.C. United about a partnership do not represent a drastic departure from his stance against public financing of the Nationals baseball stadium." Read the rest of the article for details, including discussions of Fenty's stand on public financing of sports venues. [Will. Not. Get. Sucked. In. Must. Resist.]
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Feb 14, 2008 9:58 AM
This week's Ballpark and Beyond column in the Post's District Extra is about the new Waterfront Park at The Yards: "Although Nationals Park is getting the lion's share of attention these days as Near Southeast's biggest development, the 42-acre site two blocks to the east known as the Yards is starting its transformation away from its former life as the barren walled-off Southeast Federal Center. And we're now getting our first peeks at early designs for the development's 5.8-acre park on the banks of the Anacostia River. Designed by M. Paul Friedberg and Partners, the park will have "passive and active" recreation spaces, along with retail and entertainment offerings that Yards developer Forest City Washington believes will make it a lively year-round destination for residents and tourists in the daytime and at night." And it'll be right across from the soccer stadium!
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Feb 13, 2008 9:11 PM
Looking outside my boundaries long enough to pass along this: "News4 has learned that Mayor Adrian Fenty plans to propose building a $200 million soccer stadium on the banks of the Anacostia River across from the city's new Nationals ballpark. Sources told News4's Tom Sherwood that the soccer stadium would be part of a $1 billion development deal on about 40 acres of land at Poplar Point along the river. The sources said the mayor will announce as early as Thursday that he has selected Clark Construction to develop the land." As for the cost? "Under the mayor's proposal, which must be approved by the D.C. Council, the city would spend about $200 million on the soccer stadium. Funds to pay for the soccer stadium bonds would come from taxes and revenue that already are being generated by the new baseball stadium, which opens in late March."
UPDATE: I'm not going to be tracking this (yet {ahem}), but here's a more complete article, along with the more correct name of the winning bidder, Clark Realty Capital. Mayor Fenty is announcing the winner this morning at 10:30.
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