The July 29 DC Register has published the proposed text amendment (starting on page 2 of the PDF) to the Capitol Gateway Overlay District zoning regulations (Title 11, Chapters 16 and 30 in the DC Municipal Regulations) to allow the construction of the new Nationals baseball stadium, setting forth "the height, floor area ratio, setback, ground floor preferred uses, and parking requirements" as well as other rules for the stadium site. After a comment period of 30 days, the DC Zoning Board will vote on final approval of this amendment, most likely at its Sept. 15 Public Meeting. (Note that once the design of the stadium is unveiled, it too will have to come before the zoning board for approval.) UPDATE: Looks like you need to first visit the main DC Register site before the link to the proposed text amendment will work. Sorry about that! UPDATE II: The Zoning Board has now posted the transcript from the June 2 hearing on this text amendment.

The National Capital Planning Commission has announced the agenda for its August 4 meeting--included is a request for approval of the text amendment to the Capitol Gateway Overview District for the baseball stadium area that was given first approval by the DC Zoning Commission on July 11. The wording of the request for the text amendment: ".... to define 'Ballpark' and Ballpark Area,' to allow a ballpark in Square 702, 703, 704, 705 and 706 and on Reservation 247, between South Capitol Street, 1st Street, N Street, and Potomac Place, SE, Washington, D.C., and to establish a Zoning Commission review and approval process and design guidelines for a ballpark and associated uses." Also on the agenda are two items pertaining to the coming redevelopment of Capper / Carrollsburg: the "dedication of land to establish 2nd and 3rd Places, SE, and to reopen and dedicate a portion of L Street, SE, in Squares 767, 768, 798, 799 and Reservations 17-B, 17-C and 17-D, between I, M, 3rd, and 4th Streets, SE"; plus proposing the closure of "public alleys in Squares 798, 799 and 824, between I, K, 3rd and 4th Streets, SE." This step happens before the requests for closures go to the DC City Council (per DC Code 9-202.02).

The DC Office of Zoning had its second hearing on the proposed baseball stadium amendment to the Capitol Gateway Overlay District last night, July 11. (I swear I checked the agenda within the past few days and it wasn't there, otherwise I would have told you! Honest!) According to a very helpful lady at DCOZ, the proposed amendment was approved with only minor modifications ("wording clarifications"); what happens now is that the revised text will appear in the DC Register (perhaps in the July 22 edition). Thirty days are allowed for comment, with the Zoning Board then acting on final approval after that (perhaps at the September 12th meeting). Note that this is just the zoning for the area--the proposed stadium itself will also have to come before the Zoning Board for hearings and approval. I would point you to the Capitol Gateway Overlay District laws in the full DC Municipal Regulations, but Chapter 16/Capitol Gateway Overlay District is mysteriously not listed in the Zoning Table of Contents!

The DC Office of Planning has posted the presentation materials and public comments from the May 24 South Capitol Street Corridor and Baseball Master Plan Public Meeting. Also TBD is the date for proposed action by the DC Zoning Commission on the Baseball Overlay, which was presented at the June 2 meeting. The Zoning Commission agenda page says: The record will remain open until June 30th for some specific requests. It is anticipated this matter will be considered for proposed action at the July meeting.

On June 2, 2005, at 12:30 pm, the National Capital Planning Commission will hold its June meeting. Agenda items include the Southeast portion of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail as well as a presentation by DDOT on its Middle Anacostia River Crossings Transportation Study. And June 2 is also the date when the DC Zoning Commission will consider a text amendment to the Capitol Gateway Overlay District for the new Nationals baseball stadium. Please try to contain your excitement. (bumped to top of list)

More posts: Nationals Park, zoning