Tucked deep in the classifieds of Thursday's and Friday's Washington Post were solicitations to build three temporary surface parking lots in the footprint of the old
Capper/Carrollsburg public housing complex. The invitations for bids (
here and
here) are for 1) site grading/storm water systems/paving, and 2) lighting installation; proposals are due on Oct. 26 to DC Housing Enterprises (a subsidiary of the
DC Housing Authority). The lots total nearly 234,000 square feet, and are located in two locations: the blocks bounded by
2nd, I, 3rd, and L, east of
Canal Park, and the site of the
old Capper Seniors building at Sixth and L, SE, which is scheduled to be torn down by the end of this year.
There will be somewhere between 670 and 720 spaces created in these three lots, which are being built to help ease the
expected ballpark parking crunch. They were approved earlier this year under a
zoning ruling that states the lots can last no more than five years; they will also be open for non-baseball use. The seniors building site is eventually going to be home to a 500,000-sq-ft office building by Forest City Enterprises, and the blocks lining Canal Park are destined to become mixed-income residential buildings as part of
Capper/Carrollsburg's redevelopment.
UPDATED because I found the correct space count for the lots.