In the past few days I've mentioned the
start of construction on the first of the temporary surface parking lots at
Capper and the transformation of an existing lot at
1100 South Capitol into
a monthly lot managed by Colonial Parking. Today I see that the dirt is being dug up at
1000 South Capitol, which had a public space permit approved a few weeks ago for the construction of a parking lot. This property is owned by
Lerner Enterprises (yes, the same Lerners that own the Nationals) and they have
eventual plans for an office building on the site, but it shouldn't be a surprise that they would give this land over at least temporarily to the
Ballpark Parking Cause.
Additional dispatches from today's drive-around:
* Equipment has arrived on site at
1345 South Capitol, presumably for the start of excavation for this 276-unit residential project across the street from the ballpark.
* The DC Foreign Car Shop at 31 K Street and the buildings along First Street and N north of the ballpark are still standing;
* A very affable-looking "Hospitality Ambassador" from the
Capitol Riverfront BID was answering questions with a smile at the Navy Yard Metro entrance;
* The amount of construction and roadwork from New Jersey Avenue west to South Capitol really is unbelievable. (I rarely drive through the neighborhood during the day on weekdays, so most of you long-suffering residents and commuters are already well aware of this.) But seeing it in full swing just reinforces my New Year's resolution to restrict my photo treks to Sundays, when the commotion is taking its Day of Rest.
UPDATE: One more tidbit: a permit has been approved to remove the underground storage tanks at the
BP Amoco at South Capitol and N. I had thought that maybe it was only temporarily closed because of the construction on N Street, but this probably means it's gone for good. As for what might appear in its place--the land is part of
Monument Realty's vast holdings north of the ballpark, but no development plans for the site have been announced. In the meantime, I bet it would be a handy spot for a parking lot!