Remember a few months back when the biggest question mark about the new baseball stadium was what it was going to look like? (We were so much younger then.) Saturday's Post reveals: "District government officials are modifying the architectural design of a new baseball stadium, relying less heavily on glass as a key exterior feature, to reduce costs and win approval for a lease agreement from the D.C. Council. The changes are intended to save tens of millions of dollars and limit the potential for cost overruns, said sources with knowledge of the discussions." The article also explains that the city is working on a proposed "guaranteed maximum price" contract with the stadium's builders, Clark/Hunt/Smoot A Joint Venture, where "the city would relinquish control of the design and construction of the stadium to construction companies, which in turn would guarantee that the price of the labor and materials for the ballpark would not exceed $300 million." And the clock ticks on, as an agreement must legally be submitted to the council by Jan. 27 in order to get a vote on Feb. 7. So this next week should be fun.

Meanwhile, Saturday's WashTimes goes with: "Council meets with mediator": "Members of the D.C. Council met yesterday with the mediator selected to help end a dispute over the lease for the Washington Nationals' new ballpark in Southeast, and council chairman Linda Cropp followed by providing Mayor Anthony Williams a revised proposal that she said will ensure a positive council vote." What does the letter say? "Cropp outlined 12 provisions requested by council members, who said they will not vote in favor of the stadium lease until the changes are made. The new proposal is similar to one presented last week, in that it calls for a cap on how much the city will contribute to the ballpark. The new letter clarifies that the city should pay no more than the $535 million being borrowed for the project, plus a $20 million contribution from Major League Baseball, $37 million raised from baseball activities in 2005 and $39 million in interest and bond premium. The new letter requests more community benefits, including a new baseball academy in the District, and more appearances by players. It also calls for assurances that the Nationals cannot terminate the lease simply by refusing to pay rent." The story also has some back-and-forth about whether the council should have been included in the lease negotiations from the beginning.

The Washington Blade reports in "Gay groups debate future of O Street gay night clubs" on responses within the gay community to a bill introduced by Jim Graham that "amends the Alcohol Beverage Control Board's licensing regulations to allow nude-dancing permit holders in the stadium's wake a one-time zoning transfer to any commercial zone. Current zoning laws allow the permit-holders only to move to the central business district." The bill will be the subject of a council roundtable on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

NBC4 reports that Linda Cropp is still worried about cost overruns on the stadium, and is sending another letter to Mayor Williams about what it will take to secure a majority vote for the stadium lease agreement. The article also outlines a few dates that need to be met if the council is going to vote on the lease at its next session, on Feb. 7.  UPDATE: I missed this Thursday WashTimes article, "Stadium concessions, consensus elusive", discussing how it appears that Carol Schwartz is the only council member who has said there's any room to negotiate. And also from the Thursday WashTimes, "Mayor hit for playing on the road", about how some council members are slamming Mayor Williams for being out of town during negotiations.

The city and MLB have picked former Detroit mayor Dennis Archer to act as mediator to help get the lease agreement back on track, reports the Washington Business Journal. UPDATE: Here is the Washington Post's piece on Archer, "Williams Political Ally is Stadium Mediator," and the WashTimes weighs in with "District Turns to Stadium Mediator."

The 11th Street Bridges Environmental Impact Statement project has released its January 2006 newsletter, with a summary of the issues raised during the December public meetings. Another public meeting is expected in spring, with the EIS scheduled to be delivered in summer 2006.

The National Capital Planning Commission has posted the preliminary agenda for its February meeting, with two agenda items pertaining to Near Southeast: a request for approval of comments to city council on the proposed closing of public alleys in Square 743N; and a request approval of a report to the Zoning Commission on the modifications to the first-stage PUD and the second-stage PUD for the Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg redevelopment.

It's a been a nice respite from stadium news over the past few days, but we're back in the groove now with "Official Promises To Deliver Stadium" from Tuesday's Post, focusing on DC Sports and Entertainment Commission head Mark Tuohey. But, believe it or not, some council members are quoted as criticizing the stadium deal. Tuohey says they'll deliver a deal this week; we shall we....  UPDATE: Backtracking a few days, Jack Evans sounded a whole lot less optimistic on Friday, as quoted in the WashTimes's "Evans: MLB Won't Pay", indicating that they are still two votes short of the seven needed to pass the lease agreement.

I have so very many photos of Near Southeast that I've never posted, but as a block or corner begins to get developed I look through them a lot to see if there's any angle that maybe I'd now like to show. I've been doing this lately as 20 M Street's construction continues, and as I've browsed through my pictures of Half and M lately, something started to jump out at me from the edges of some of the shots, something that it now appears I've been unintentionally tracking for the past three years. So, I bring to you: Gas Prices at Half and M. No pressure, Sunoco!

Marriott's web site now has a page for the "Courtyard by Marriott Washington Capitol Hill/Navy Yard", and the page says "Opening in March 2006." You can't reserve a room yet, but at least it's there now. See my Capitol Hill Tower page for photos, detail, etc.

Couldn't help myself, had to go take more pictures in the Hood, so check out my Capitol Hill Tower, New Jersey Avenue, and especially my DOT HQ pages for new images--I ventured out after construction was finished for the day, but they hadn't closed the gates to DOT at New Jersey and M, and now that there's a nice concrete road bed, I took my first walk from M to N on the "new New Jersey." And didn't even get arrested! I also added a photo or two to my Capper Seniors page, mainly to document that they have sped along with the bricking the southern exterior of Capper #1.

In zoning news this week... On Monday night the Zoning Commission approved the Capper/Carrollsburg 2nd Stage PUD--PUDs leave me bewildered, so I'm not 100% sure if this means that all systems are go for work to begin at Capper, or if there's still some other post-approval approval that still needs to happen (like with the DC Council). In easier-to-digest news, JPI has a second case ready to go in front of the Board of Zoning Adjustment, this time for the 900 block of New Jersey Avenue, where the Nexus Gold Club is. The application requests "a variance from the residential recreation space requirements under section 773, and a special exception for multiple roof structures with walls of uneven height pursuant to sections 411 and 770.6, to allow the development of a multi-family residential building ... at premises 900 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. " (I hate to tell them that this is going to have to be called 90*1* New Jersey, because it's on the west side of the block!) The lots they list seem to indicate that they plan on developing the entire block except for one lot, on the northeast corner of 1st and K. The hearing will be on May 16--JPI's other variance hearing for 100 I Street is scheduled for March 14. You can see pictures of both sites on my new North of M page.

Buried in Thursday's Post: "Cropp Proposes 'Compromise' on D.C. Stadium." In a letter to Mayor Bow Tie, "Cropp listed 10 provisions that she said would ensure that at least seven of the council's 13 members would vote to approve a critical stadium lease deal. The key provision would be a guarantee that the city's costs for the project would be capped at the $535 million the council approved last year, plus $54 million in bond financing fees. Any additional costs would have to be covered by the league, the owner of the Washington Nationals or private developers, Cropp wrote. Furthermore, the council expects Major League Baseball to select a local group to own the Nationals and wants more community benefits -- such as free tickets for disadvantaged youth -- added in the lease agreement, she said. Cropp said her letter represents the cumulative wish list of at least seven council members." I'm sure MLB will be thrilled with the idea of the city council dictating who the new owner should be. The rest of the article discusses the Mayor's positive reaction to the letter, and the progress being made on the various fronts. Also, the Post article mentions briefly what Thursday's WashTimes "Council plans to meet lawyer" article focuses on: "Members of the D.C. Council plan to meet today with an attorney specializing in high-level stadium negotiations in the hopes of ending a dispute with Major League Baseball over a lease for the Washington Nationals' new ballpark in Southeast."

The WashTimes provides sunshine and roses in "No more pitchers for D.C. ballpark": "The D.C. government's efforts are nearly dead in closing a deal with Major League Baseball to build a stadium in Southeast for the Washington Nationals. D.C. Council member Jack Evans, a chief proponent of the stadium, has given up trying to persuade fellow members to support the deal. " The article also addresses how the delays are impacting the ability of construction to get finished by March 2008. But Tony is optimistic!

At the end of a WashTimes story describing the city's discussions over what to do with an expected surplus coming out of the new baseball stadium over the years (I know, it didn't make any sense to me, either), there was a brief update about the negotiations over the stadium lease agreement: "Several council sources said they are eyeing a possible vote on the lease at the body's next legislative meeting Feb. 7, but nothing has been scheduled. Council members met yesterday with the mayor's legislative aides to go over possible proposals, and members also are scheduled to meet with council attorneys Thursday." UPDATE: According to the AP: "D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams told reporters Tuesday that he hopes to send a new stadium lease agreement to the council by the end of this week." Note that "sending to the council" and having the council vote on it are two different things.

There's now a sign on Capitol Hill Tower, just south of the New Jersey and K intersection, that says "Sales Office Now Open." I haven't walked up to be sure, but if you're interested in the project, wander by and see if you can go in....

While trying to add some photos of the Faison properties along 1st Street, I realized that my South Capitol Street Corridor page had become way too huge and unwieldy, and that with the various plans getting underway for the few blocks between I, M, South Capitol, and New Jersey, perhaps that little land of taxi companies and auto shops needed its own page, so I created the North of M page, and rejiggered my Near Southeast map yet again. I added quite a few new pictures, and this is where I'll track these projects (Faison's, Ron Cohen's Square 699 plans, JPI's two projects on 1st and on I) until they get big enough to warrant their own pages. I also added a couple of new pictures to the SouthCap page to make up for its losses.

More posts: mnorth, South Capitol St.