CHANGE MY LOCATION
District to limit street parking for Nationals Stadium visitors
SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY
Related Topics: WASHINGTON
)
Private parking at the 41,000-seat stadium is projected to be a nightmare as the Nationals have struggled to secure enough spots for even just their season-ticket holders. – Michael Riccio/For The Examiner
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Mayor Adrian Fenty announced a plan Wednesday that would severely limit street parking for Nationals fans by reserving the majority of spots around the ballpark for neighborhood residents and short-term parkers.
Private parking at the 41,000-seat stadium is also projected to be a nightmare as the Nationals have struggled to secure enough spots for even just their season-ticket holders.
The city will place two-hour parking limits or residents-only parking restrictions on most of the streets surrounding the stadium stretching as far as Barracks Row to the north and Maine Avenue to the west, Fenty said.
Neighborhood households will each receive a visitor pass for their guests that will be holographic to discourage illegal duplication, officials said.
Only about 1,000 street parking spots will be available for game-day parking, and officials said they planned to meter those with sky-high rates after the first hour or two so that their prices rival those of private garages for longer-term parking.
City officials said they hoped the plan would minimize congestion around the stadium by discouraging drivers from circling to find underpriced parking spaces.
“We wanted to ensure residents are not affected by the influx of people coming to attend the games,” District transportation chief Emeka Moneme said. “Our message to the patrons coming to enjoy the game, retail and restaurants in the area is to take transit.”
City officials have said they anticipate half of all ticket holders will use Metro to get to the stadium.
Metro officials said they were on track to complete a renovation of the Navy Yard Metrorail station before Opening Day that will allow the station to accommodate 15,000 riders an hour.
Moneme said Nationals fans may also use a bicycle valet that is planned for the entrance of the stadium’s parking garage or use a shuttle from Union Station to get to the game.
tluntz@dcexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
6:43 PM MST on Thu., Feb. 28, 2008 re: "District to limit street parking for Nationals Stadium visitors"
Report as inappropriate
1:59 PM MST on Wed., Jan. 30, 2008
re: "Stadium $43M over budget"
Report as inappropriate
2:35 PM MST on Fri., Jan. 25, 2008
re: "Stadium $43M over budget"
Report as inappropriate
1:22 PM MST on Tue., Jan. 22, 2008
re: "Stadium $43M over budget"
Report as inappropriate
10:05 AM MST on Tue., Jan. 22, 2008
re: "Stadium $43M over budget"
Report as inappropriate
8:18 AM MST on Tue., Jan. 22, 2008
re: "Land costs push Nats stadium $43M over budget"
Report as inappropriate
5:50 AM MST on Tue., Jan. 22, 2008
re: "Land costs push Nats stadium $43M over budget"
Report as inappropriate
5:50 AM MST on Tue., Jan. 22, 2008
re: "Land costs push Nats stadium $43M over budget"
Report as inappropriate
5:26 AM MST on Tue., Jan. 22, 2008
re: "Land costs push Nats stadium $43M over budget"
Report as inappropriate
2:59 PM MST on Wed., Nov. 28, 2007
re: "Ballpark area contaminated"
Report as inappropriate
9:43 AM MST on Mon., Aug. 13, 2007
re: "Fenty shifts funds to get art for new Nats ballpark"
Report as inappropriate
8:45 AM MST on Mon., Aug. 13, 2007
re: "Fenty shifts funds to get art for new Nats ballpark"
Report as inappropriate
8:04 AM MST on Mon., Aug. 13, 2007
re: "Fenty shifts funds to get art for new Nats ballpark"
Report as inappropriate
7:19 AM MST on Tue., Jul. 31, 2007
re: "City considers "ballpark fare" for fans who may ride Metro to games"
Report as inappropriate
3:24 PM MST on Mon., Jul. 30, 2007
re: "City considers "ballpark fare" for fans who may ride Metro to games"
Report as inappropriate
Examiner Reader said:
any plans for motorcycle parking at the new park ? cycles do not take up much space and most can carry two fans
98 agree | 123 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
The Md. stadium has nothing to do with any of this or do they?
126 agree | 127 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
DC runs 50 mill over, so what, the suckers will embrace the cost, after all the benefits are expansive though undefineable. Houston's sports entertainment knuckleheads revel in the fact that we can now 'chat over the water cooler' about the failings of our standard bearers, er, juice jack jocks.
177 agree | 180 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Robin Ficker, Broker Robin Realty said:
Let the steroid league foot the bill, not the taxpayers.
173 agree | 193 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Ghandi and Fenty could split the bill.
134 agree | 156 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
GMU92 said:
Thank goodness we kept this mess out of Northern Virginia. These publicly financed ballparks, or even "public/private partnerships" invariably end up going over budget, grossly over budget, and the taxpayer gets the bill. And strong arming property owners through the use of eminent domain for the sake of a billion dollar baseball team's park is criminal.
196 agree | 313 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Train robbery! That simple!
187 agree | 152 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Joe Jena said:
With Gandhi making the financial predictions why is anyone surprised at his further incompetence. When will Mayor Fenty get the picture and do the right thing?
190 agree | 178 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Maryland got suckered into building a stadium for 8 Redskins day a year. DC will get 10 times as many events - just from baseball - and then even more events because of its central location.
187 agree | 171 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Your headline "Ballpark area contaminated" is highly misleading but not as misleading as your earlier headline of "Ballpark May Be Contaminated". Yes, the ballpark was contaminated before they started construction, but it was cleaned up and no longer contaminated. Additionally, your article is referring to one future development site in Capitol Riverfront / Near Southeast. Yes, your article may get clicks due to the over-exaggerated headline, but it is exactly what will keep readers like me from not reading your newspaper's material in the future.
365 agree | 301 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Mike Licht said:
The claim that stadium sculpture will be owned by the District and will eventually be moved elsewhere is absurd. The application for this Site-Specific Art included architectural drawings. Claiming this art is on loan is like saying you don't own your own dental work but have merely borrowed it. You don't see many used dental crowns on the market; the same with site-specific public art. This sort of pubic art is usually funded by the developer or tenant, and public arts agencies provide technical assistance. Well-know local examples include the Convention Center and Reagan National Airport. Construction of lighting and maintenance of the stadium art works, also provided by the District, are not included in the $700K. There goes your budget cap. Councilmembers: use the $700K to fund a competitive, peer-reviewed Capital Arts Grant Program for DC community arts organizations.
379 agree | 382 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
What else said:
We build it, we decorate it, we will transport you to it and what else may we help you with the Nats ballpark? By the way could you please pay the cashier on your way out....Ooops I forgot we will take care of that too!!!
372 agree | 360 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
ballparkcrazi said:
Shuld'nt the new owners who seem to be very rich put their own money for the art? this makes no sense to me and the countless others looking for funding daily
320 agree | 371 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
The problem is the number of trains to carry fans. For fans that must make a connection at Metro Center, the wait can be grueling and hot in the summer.
328 agree | 504 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Mike Licht said:
DC Government must require high game-day parking fees at all facilities within strolling distance of the ballpark as a disincentive to drivers. Offering bargain train fares to casual Metro users is simply insane. Tinker with the Metro fare structure and you incur the well-deserved wrath of hundreds of thousands of regular commuters, steady Metro clients. This is the price citizens pay when government allows salesmen to conduct the planning process.
270 agree | 328 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree