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LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS SUPPORT UNDERGROUND
PARKING FOR NEW NATIONALS STADIUM
Above-ground parking garages will waste valuable real
estate, inhibit development
WASHINGTON, June 13, 2006---Local leaders of the American
Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) support placing parking
facilities for the new stadium underground in order to encourage
mixed-use development around the ballpark.
“We support the commitment by the Nationals owners
to creating a ‘total fan experience’ with the
new ballpark and believe that putting the parking underground
will be critical to their success” said Heather Hammatt
Modzelewski, president of the Potomac Chapter ASLA. “The
stadium site was selected specifically to draw development
to that part of the city. The ballpark is a tremendous long-term
investment for the city and it should leverage mixed-use development
that will create a vibrant neighborhood year-round—not
just on game days six months of the year.”
ASLA members point to the Verizon Center as a successful
local example of leveraging a sports facility to draw mixed-use
development and note that it features underground parking.
“Developers were able to locate retail, restaurants,
office space, and housing right next door to the Verizon Center,
creating an exciting, diverse neighborhood every night of
the year” said Modzelewski. “Above-ground parking
garages will waste the most valuable real estate around the
new ballpark and detract from the views of and from the stadium.
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.”
About ASLA
Founded in 1899, ASLA is the national professional association
for landscape architects, representing more than 16,500 members
in 48 professional chapters and 68 student chapters. Landscape
architecture is a comprehensive discipline of land analysis,
planning, design, management, preservation, and rehabilitation.
ASLA promotes the landscape architecture profession and advances
the practice through advocacy, education, communication, and
fellowship. Members of the Society use their "ASLA"
suffix after their names to denote membership and their commitment
to the highest ethical standards of the profession. Learn
more about landscape architecture online at www.asla.org.
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