Nationals Parking Plan Uncertain With Latest DC Council Vote

Nationals Ballpark Still Without Parking Plan

The DC Council rejected a proposal from Council member and mayoral candidate Adrian Fenty to build parking garages near the Nationals new ballpark, “leaving city officials without a plan to provide parking” when the ballpark opens in ’08, according to a front-page piece by David Nakamura of the WASHINGTON POST. Eight of 13 members supported the measure, but “such emergency legislation requires nine votes for passage.” If DC fails to provide 1,225 parking spaces on the stadium site by March 1, 2008, the city “could be liable to pay millions of dollars in legal damages to the team.” Fenty said that the rejected $56M plan “would not violate the council’s $611[M] stadium cost cap.” But other council members said that it “would raise the city’s investment by millions of dollars.” Council member Jack Evans, who supported the plan, said, “We’re back to square one. The question for us is, ‘Where do we go from here?’ ... I hope everyone goes away from the council and tries to solve the problem in another fashion” (WASHINGTON POST, 10/19). DCSEC Chair Allan Lew: “I’m not sure if it’s back to square one, but we’re going to have to take a look at all of our options and see what to do next.” Nationals Owner Ted Lerner declined to comment (WASHINGTON TIMES, 10/19).

ADDITIONAL REJECTION: In DC, Tim Lemke reports the DC Council also rejected an emergency bill presented by Mayor Anthony Williams “to borrow additional money for underground parking at the stadium, saying that an emergency does not exist.” Council Chair Linda Cropp “also ruled out of order a proposal” from council member Marion Barry “to transfer control of the parking development to the Anacostia Waterfront Corp.” (WASHINGTON TIMES, 10/19).