Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Mayor's Ballpark Plan Has Issues
Among those issues: the site that would be cheapest for the District of Columbia's proposed new stadium is also the least desirable from the prospective owners' perspective. According to Eric Fisher of the Washington Times, a ballpark built near RFK Stadium would cost taxpayers $340 million. One at any of the other three locations -- M Street Southeast, New York Avenue Northeast and Benjamin Banneker Park -- would cost $385 million. Fisher notes that even this figure sounds low, since both Philadelphia and San Diego spent over $450 million on their new facilities.
Meanwhile William Collins, leader of the bid to bring baseball to northern Virginia, says that local opposition has caused him basically to give up on Arlington County, the most desirable potential location. Any other site would be further from the District, and probably also further from public transportation.
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Among those issues: the site that would be cheapest for the District of Columbia's proposed new stadium is also the least desirable from the prospective owners' perspective. According to Eric Fisher of the Washington Times, a ballpark built near RFK Stadium would cost taxpayers $340 million. One at any of the other three locations -- M Street Southeast, New York Avenue Northeast and Benjamin Banneker Park -- would cost $385 million. Fisher notes that even this figure sounds low, since both Philadelphia and San Diego spent over $450 million on their new facilities.
Meanwhile William Collins, leader of the bid to bring baseball to northern Virginia, says that local opposition has caused him basically to give up on Arlington County, the most desirable potential location. Any other site would be further from the District, and probably also further from public transportation.
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