Sunday, May 09, 2004
D.C. Stadium Costs Prove a Moving Target
Eric Fisher of the Washington Times reviews the curious history of Washington's stadium cost estimates:
" In early 1999, a ballpark at RFK Stadium was projected at $207 million, and a downtown site, then ideally Mount Vernon Square, was estimated at $330 million.
In late 2002, soon after MLB formed its relocation committee and the D.C. Council began to get engaged actively in the baseball chase, the cost range was $342 million to $542 million.
Last year, when Williams introduced the Ballpark Revenue Amendment Act of 2003, the stadium was projected to cost between $343 million and $436 million. Late in 2003, when the Banneker site emerged as a possibility, early estimates there hovered around $500 million.
Last month, Williams said a ballpark on the RFK property, financed fully with public funds, would cost $340 million."
Fisher notes that the last 10 ballparks have averaged $386 million -- and that the costs of construction in Washington, D.C. are far higher than in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, the stadium proponents' favorite analogies.
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Eric Fisher of the Washington Times reviews the curious history of Washington's stadium cost estimates:
" In early 1999, a ballpark at RFK Stadium was projected at $207 million, and a downtown site, then ideally Mount Vernon Square, was estimated at $330 million.
In late 2002, soon after MLB formed its relocation committee and the D.C. Council began to get engaged actively in the baseball chase, the cost range was $342 million to $542 million.
Last year, when Williams introduced the Ballpark Revenue Amendment Act of 2003, the stadium was projected to cost between $343 million and $436 million. Late in 2003, when the Banneker site emerged as a possibility, early estimates there hovered around $500 million.
Last month, Williams said a ballpark on the RFK property, financed fully with public funds, would cost $340 million."
Fisher notes that the last 10 ballparks have averaged $386 million -- and that the costs of construction in Washington, D.C. are far higher than in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, the stadium proponents' favorite analogies.
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