Offices, condos flock to be near Nationals

In about two months, construction of the Washington Nationals’ new ballpark in Southeast will be complete. The cranes, blowtorches and bulldozers will be put away after 22 months of constant activity.

But construction will continue for years to come in the neighborhood surrounding the stadium, fulfilling a promise that the ballpark would hasten redevelopment of the once-downtrodden area.

Inside a 10-block radius to the north, east and south of the stadium, developers have drawn plans for more than 50 projects.

Residential developers such as JPI and the Cohen Companies are building condo and apartment projects that will add nearly 9,000 housing units over the next 15 years.

Office developers such as Lerner Enterprises, JBG Cos. and Donohoe are constructing buildings that eventually will bring thousands of new workers to the neighborhood. And companies such as Monument Realty, Forest City and Florida Rock have plans to transform nearly 100 acres of underused land into massive, mixed-use destinations.

Many projects are under way and will be complete sometime during the upcoming baseball season, but most will rise from the ground over the course of the next decade, making the ballpark neighborhood an ever-evolving destination.

Private investment in the area is projected to be in the billions, and the city will chip in more than $150 million toward infrastructure improvements and offer tens of millions of dollars in special tax programs to build parks and housing for low-income residents.

“This is going to be a very intense commercial, urban neighborhood and retail and entertainment district — anchored by a ballpark,” said Michael Stevens, executive director of the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District, which is charged with making the area safer and cleaner for visitors.

The promise

When city officials agreed to pay $611 million for the construction of the new stadium, they envisioned fans dining at a restaurant, paying their bill and strolling just a few blocks along Half Street Southeast to watch their team play.

They pictured a fan stepping out of his apartment building on South Capitol Street, meeting friends for a beer, then taking in the ballgame with the sun setting to the left over the Washington Monument.

Indeed, perhaps the only reason that the ballpark gained approval was a promise from Mayor Anthony A. Williams that the project would trigger billions of dollars in economic development and more than $400 million toward a special community benefits fund.

“The vision of putting the ballpark there was to give a big oomph to the revitalization of that area,” said Gregory McCarthy, a former top aide to Mr. Williams and now the Nationals’ liaison to the city for ballpark matters. “You can’t look at it and say it hasn’t hastened greatly.”

The actual impact of the ballpark is difficult to gauge.

Some economists argue that the stadium’s impact is minimal. Others suggest that the ballpark will hasten neighborhood development by as much as five years.

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