ASLA Potomac Chapter Testifies on Washington Stadium Parking
Chapter representatives tell Washington, D.C., zoning commission that above-ground parking at the Nationals stadium will inhibit the city's ability to "leverage mixed-use development that will create a vibrant neighborhood year-round."

Rob Tilson, FASLA, represented the Potomac Chapter, testifying before the Washington, D.C. Zoning Commission.

When HOK Sport unveiled its drawings for the new Nationals baseball stadium in Washington, D.C., several months ago, planning and design interests were less than thrilled with the initial results. While the stadium design did not depict a rote brickyard throwback, it was not an innovative or daring design as many had hoped. However, most disturbing to those concerned with the redevelopment of the District neighborhood that would surround the stadium were the two large aboveground parking garages that seemed to obstruct views from inside the stadium and took up valuable real estate that should be used for the much-needed surrounding entertainment district promised by the city. At the time, District government officials and stadium designers made assurances that the parking garages would be placed underground as mandated by District zoning laws.

However, late last month, The Washington Post learned that the Nationals owners, the Theodore N. Lerner family, would not budge on the aboveground lots despite efforts by city officials to convince them of the long-term viability of placing parking belowground. In a closed-door meeting, representatives for the Lerner family told city officials that the garages must be built aboveground in order to ensure that the stadium project is completed on time, The Post reported. In the meeting, city officials asked if they could have time to craft an alternative plan but were told that would be impossible.

The Post’s coverage sparked widespread opposition to the aboveground parking plan from members of the design community. Leading that opposition was ASLA Potomac Chapter, which issued a press release noting that the plan for aboveground lots would thwart revitalization efforts in the surrounding area. The chapter echoed these sentiments in a letter to Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony Williams.

“Aboveground parking garages will waste the most valuable real estate around the new ballpark and detract from the views of and from the stadium,” said Heather Hammatt Modzelewski, ASLA, president of the Potomac Chapter ASLA. “If we don’t create a place people will want to visit, the Nationals will struggle to develop their fan base as well. We encourage the owners to think beyond opening day and consider the long-term viability of their legacy.”

In addition to the press release and letter, Rob Tilson, FASLA, represented the chapter, testifying on the stadium plan before the D.C. Zoning Commission. During the marathon hearing, the commission heard from Mayor Anthony Williams and HOK Architects on a new plan that would bury half of the parking garage and wrap the aboveground lots in condominiums and hotel development, in hopes of blunting the criticism that aboveground parking would stunt the revitalization of the surrounding neighborhood. Williams also asked the zoning commission to approve the standard aboveground garages as a contingency plan in case the condominium and retail development plan proved unworkable.

“ASLA supports Mayor Anthony Williams’s compromise proposal for a combination of underground and aboveground parking that is hidden from view,” Tilson said during the hearing. “Even without all parking belowground, this plan preserves the mixed-use principles that will tie the ballpark together with the neighborhood and help create a lively environment in baseball season—and in every season.”

Late last week, the zoning commission approved the revised plan for parking at the new Nationals stadium. At the same time, the commission rejected a plan that included aboveground, shopping-mall style parking garages that stadium architects had originally proposed. "This is going to be very handsome, and the housing is very exciting," commissioner John Parsons, FASLA, said in voting to approve the new plan. The commission said that exposed aboveground parking garages would be detrimental to the community surrounding the new stadium and devastating to the stated goal of revitalizing the community with dense mixed-use development. The new plan also includes a boutique hotel and street-level shops.