Fairfax County, VA, residents who discovered that a proposed
ballpark for a possible MLB expansion team could be in their
backyards weren't overly enthusiastic. On Tuesday, county
officials identified 12 locations where a stadium might be built
if the area is awarded an expansion team. The reaction from
neighbors and even owners of those sites ranged from
entrepreneurialy optimistic to angry. Mike Davini, who sits on
18 acres nearby a proposed site, would welcome a stadium if
there is something in it for him: "It would be fine as long as
they pay us for the inconvenience." Areas included in the
proposal include an area adjacent to the large shopping mall
complex at Tysons's Corner. County officials want a stadium to
be near current or planned public transportation lines and will
try and avoid sites with wetland or pollution problems. The
county is expected to narrow the search to two or three sites
within a month (Bates & Lipton, WASHINGTON POST, 12/22). VA
resident groups have successfully opposed other major
developments in the past, including a new Redskins stadium in
Alexandria and Disney's America theme-park in Haymarket.
