Report a Comment

The redevelopment of Capper Carrollsburg was put on the boards in 2001 (Hope VI grant), three years before the ballpark was decided on.

The US Department of Transportation picked M St. SE as its new HQ location in 2001.

GSA (and Congress) created the public-private partnership to redevelop the old Southeast Federal Center into what is now becoming "The Yards" in 2000.

NAVSEA moved from Crystal City to the Navy Yard in 2001, generating the construction of 80 M, 300 M, 1100 New Jersey, and Maritime Plaza's two buildings as locations for contractors, all finished before 2004.

If people want to believe that nothing was happening in Near Southeast until the stadium was announced, they're welcome to, but they're also wrong. The stadium *sped up* the development, but the city was already very much keying in on the area, with things like the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative. There was no way that a neighborhood one mile from the US Capitol was going to remain undeveloped for much longer.

(I started blogging about the area in January 2003, before there was even a hint that the Expos might come to DC. And I had plenty to write about and photograph during the 19 months between when I started and when the stadium deal was announced in Sept. 2004.)

by JD on Apr 2, 2012 3:33 pm • link • report