Message #925361

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another update:

http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2012/jan/13/parking-garage-delays-potomac-nationals-stadium-de-ar-1607275/

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. --

The announcement naming the site of a possible Potomac Nationals stadium may be delayed due to an issue resulting from the building of a parking garage for commuters and baseball fans.

Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart said Thursday that negotiations have suffered a setback because of issues that still need to be worked out about the garage.

Still to be determined is who will pay for the garage. Stewart said it will take two years to build, but no decision has been made as to the size and how much fans would pay to park there.

Stewart, who would not say where the stadium will be built, said the garage would need to be close to the stadium to make the fans’ walk to the facility shorter.

He did say that he and the team are looking at sites along the Interstate 95 and I-66 corridor.

“I cannot [reveal] the site because that would destroy the deal,” Stewart said. “We would very much like to build more commuter parking spaces, especially parking ramps, parking garages and have structure parking with the use of that same ramp being used for baseball fans.”

Potomac Naionals owner Art Silber is hopeful an announcement about the stadium’s site may come when the team holds its annual Hot Stove Banquet on Jan. 29.

Stewart, however, thinks an announcement may come this spring. He was not too optimistic about one of the sites being the Nationals’ future home.

“There’s a real good possibility this will not work,” Stewart said. “It’s really shaky at this point. We just don’t know.”

Silber said the people involved have been willing to listen to each other’s ideas. But everything must come together for the stadium to become a reality.

“There are a lot of factors in developing a ballpark,” Silber said. “If there are environmental issues, those have to be dealt with -as well as traffic and community issues. It’s a very complex matrix of factors that have to come together for a project to work.

“We have had tremendous cooperation from everybody that has been involved, whether it’s been the county or state or the people who own the land and who are developing it. Everybody wants to see it happen.”