First, it was Capital One Arena’s renovation and renderings that took the media by storm, then it was a few hopeful renderings for a new Commanders Stadium design at the RFK site that captured Washingtonians’ collective imagination, but now the Washington Nationals are ‘stepping up to the plate’.
Washington Nationals’ hopeful plans for renovation and reinvigoration of the ballpark and surrounding area
According to Axios D.C., the Washington Nationals have big ideas to ‘overhaul’ the exterior of Nats Park as well as the surrounding area stadium’ neighboring parking garages to turn the area into a more year-round attraction to capture potential consumers even when it isn’t gameday.
Revamped center-field entrance
By ‘pushing back the security gates’ the new open space would be ripe for social gatherings and welcome opportunities for new retail shops or allegedly even enough space for a “sound stage for concerts”.
Corner of N and First Street SE reimagined with emphasis on space for restaurants and shops
To make Nationals Park a hub both culturally and commercially, the renderings depict the addition of several new commercial real estate spots ideal for new restaurants or retail stores.
First Street SE redesigned to maximize ‘walkability’
The Nationals’ belief in boosting the pedestrian-friendly aspects of First Street SE is that it would open up the area between the ballpark and the Anacostia River, making it a more easygoing place to stroll.
Refreshing the outer face of the aboveground parking at the corner of South Capitol and N Streets SW
Wrapping the exterior of the parking in a more visually appealing material or design to further modernize the area around the stadium and ‘eliminate’ structures that have been considered an eye sore in the past.
Is Nationals Park actually getting these renovations?
As of right now, not anytime soon.
The renderings, according to Washington Nationals Executive Gregory McCarthy, “These are just ideas to be evocative,” regarding the renderings and their respective descriptions.
The process to get public funding for these renovations, given that the stadium is owned by the District, saw the Nationals’ exec pitch the concepts to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Council Chair Phil Mendelson at the Capitol Riverfront BID.
Now, while the District has already shelled out north of half a billion dollars to upgrade Capital One Arena and is already having preliminary conversations with the Washington Commanders to discuss bringing the team back to D.C., it’s clear why the Nationals didn’t want to feel like it was missing its opportunity to get a slice of the pie when it came to divying out funding for each local team.
What we do know already is that a fund was started by Mayor Bowser last year, called the ‘Ballpark Preservation and Improvement Fund’, which is made up largely of tax dollars generated from the stadium and the Nationals’ lease payments on the ballpark.
Nonetheless, third-party estimates for the cost of the desired upgrades to the ballpark’s exterior and to the surrounding area suggested the bill could amount to as much as $350 million over the next two decades.