The Washington Nationals, winners of the 2019 World Series, almost needed to find a new home for the final games of the 2022 baseball season after Events D.C. failed to meet the terms of the certificate of occupancy for Nationals Park.
The D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) gave quite a scare to baseball fans in the nation’s capital, waiting until the 11th hour to extend a permit to play games in National Park, home of the Washington Nationals. Without the extension, the Nationals would have needed to find another place to play for the final two homegames of the season.
The permit in question was the D.C.-issued certificate of occupancy for Nationals Park, issued by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs in 2006, but ending on September 30, 2022—with two days left on the current season.
According to an article by Tristan Navera for the Washington Business Journal, the “2006 agreement with the D.C. Zoning Commission that set the nearly $700 million project into motion required that Events D.C., the stadium's owner, build out 46,000 square feet of of [sic] retail, services, entertainment or arts uses on the stadium premises.”
A few days after Navera reported the news of the potential demise of the baseball season in D.C., the DCRA granted a 15-month extension on the permit. Events D.C. ow has until December 31, 2023 to file plans to complete the required development on the southeast corner of the stadium site.
“Events D.C. has asked to downsize the development needed in the agreement so it can instead finish 17,000 square feet of retail partially built out along First Street SE. In filings with the D.C. Zoning Commission, which must sign off on the agreement, Events D.C. said the slowing of the real estate market during Covid-19 has made a lot of retail on this site impractical,” reports Navera in a more recent article, published after the extension.
“Giving Events D.C. a 15-month extension will give the Zoning Commission time to make its ruling and also to submit construction plans for review and approval,” according to a source cited in the article.
FULL STORY: D.C. agency will extend Nats Park's occupancy permit as owner works through development plans
Washington DC Launches Open Data Chatbot
City data is now available literally at the public’s fingertips, no data analytics skills required.
DC-Area Jurisdictions Pledge Bridge Funding for Transit
District officials could commit up to $200 million as short-term support for the struggling regional transit system.
DC Park Aims for Equitable Development
Project leaders working on the 11th Street Bridge Park hope to prevent displacement of residents and bring economic and social benefits to the surrounding community.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
Fair Housing Cannot Take a Back Seat to ‘Build, Baby, Build’
If we overlook fair housing principles in the plan to build US housing back better, we risk ending up right back where we started.
LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
The newest plan for the 710 corridor claims it will not displace any residents.
Austin’s Proposed EV Charging Rules Regulate Station Locations, Size
City planners say the new rules would ensure an efficient distribution of charging infrastructure across the city and prevent an overconcentration in residential areas.
Making California State Parks More Climate-Resilient
A recently released report offers recommendations for keeping state parks healthy and robust, including acquiring additional land for conservation and recreation.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
