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On Wednesday I gave you the deets on
what's new inside Nats Park for the 2015 season, and on Thursday I updated the
Parking Lots map. Now it's time to get you non-neighborhood types up to speed on
what's changed outside the ballpark since the last time you visited.
The neighborhood is pretty darn different compared to when the Nats took up residence in 2008, and it's fair to say there is more development now underway than at anytime since 2007.
Here's a rundown.
WHAT'S NEW IN FOOD:
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You've got the
just-opened BonChon at Half and K SE, with not only their signature Korean fried chicken but also a large bar with TVs (and eventually an outdoor patio). BonChon has special game day hours, staying open until 11 pm Sundays-Wednesdays and midnight Thursdays-Saturdays.
There's also two new options at 3rd and Tingey Streets in the Boilermaker's Shops, starting with
Willie's Brew & Que, which has
all sorts of offerings of the barbeque persuasion, along with a sizeable beer menu and house cocktails.
There's also a new Subway at Half and M, plus a new Harris Teeter at 4th and M at if you feel like grabbing some groceries.
Three more restaurants are expected to open in the coming months:
Scarlet Oak and its American fare,
Due South and its southern fare, and the
Navy Yard Oyster Co. and its, well, oysters. There will also be a long-awaited new beer garden at 8th and L, SE, with the great name "
The Brig."
And of course there are all of your favorites from the past few years, from Five Guys to Bluejacket to Osteria Morini.
BALLPARK DISTRICT 2.0:
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For people who have been tapping their toes waiting for the block north of the ballpark to finally show signs of regeneration, I've created a
handy dandy Ballpark District 2.0 map to guide you through the latest plans and changes between South Capitol and 1st Street.
But if you can't bear to click through, here's a quick rundown:
In addition to the
Hampton Inn that sprouted just across from Nats Parking Lot C last year and should be completed by the end of 2015, work is now underway just to its north on 1st Street on
Ballpark Square (perhaps not its real name), which will have a 300ish-unit apartment building, a 170-room hotel, an office building, and 45,000 square feet of retail when construction is completed, probably in 2017.
Immediately to the north of the subway entrance, a new 195-room
Homewood Suites just getting started at Half and M.
And the three lots across N Street from the stadium and its garages now have new owners, who seem motivated to get new
residential projects underway in late 2015 or 2016.
(It may mean the end of the Fairgrounds after this season--or at least it'll get a lot smaller--but change marches on.)
A WHOLE LOT OF CONSTRUCTING GOING ON:
You may feel like the entire neighborhood is a construction zone, and that isn't far off, because, in addition to the Ballpark Square apartments, there are
eight other residential projects currently under construction, totaling around 2,800 new rental units.
(Note that
one of these is going to change the view of the Anacostia River from the stadium's viewing platform a fair amount, so begin to prepare yourself.)
Also look for a temporary park to sprout later this year on the
huge empty lot just northeast of the ballpark. And possibly a
big beer garden and park immediately to the south of the stadium, if the Bardo folks' vision comes to fruition.
Whew! It would probably be easier to just read JDLand religiously in the off-season. But now, with this and my
Parking Update and my
Ballpark Update, my pre-Opening Day mandate has been fulfilled. Play ball!