According to the Post's DC Wire blog, the final chapter of the Garages Wrapped With Development Goodness saga has now been written: "Developer Herbert Miller has settled his $40 million lawsuit against the District government over the failed plan to build two 13-story condominium towers just outside Nationals Park. Under the settlement, the city will pay Miller's Western Development $2 million and the company will drop its legal grievances, according to Miller's son Ben, who is now the company's president." Above is the design for the condo/garages, and here's my various entries on the Miller plan. While you look at those links, think about the current four-story parking lots in the outfield and imagine them with another eight stories on top. And no centerfield plaza, either.

Also, according to the updated Multispace Meters Rates and Hours of Operation sheet from DDOT, parking at the green multispace kiosks in Near Southeast is no longer off-limits during stadium events. It now costs $2 for the first hour, $8 for the second hour, $8 for the third, and $2 for the fourth. This equals the cost of most of the cash lots operating near the ballpark. (See that sheet for the updated rules for Pennsylvania Avenue SE and Barracks Row.) I haven't paid close enough attention over the past few weeks to see if this meter change has been in effect since before June 23--but clearly the ample parking and well-flowing traffic near the ballpark has lessened the original fears that allowing on-street parking north of the ballpark would bring a crunch of drivers circling looking for spaces. ($4 gas might be helping that, too.)

I've posted on my Stadium Parking page the updated map from DDOT showing these changes and the explanations of the parking restrictions around the ballpark as they now stand, after these alterations. I suppose I should get off the sofa and go see if the street signs here on my Capitol Hill residential block have been updated to show these new hours, but I'm lazy tonight. Still worn out from last night's fast-forwarding extravaganza, I guess.

Council members Cheh and Wells opposed the measure, saying that the council should not insert its own judgment if DCRA and DDOT consider these locations to be a "threat to public safety" because of the construction in the area and the movement problems that there could be in case of a mass egress from the ballpark (like if Zimmerman busts the Capitol dome again). Wells tried to say that the council perhaps doesn't know better than DCRA how to apportion space for vendors; council member Barry explained how he walked the area around the ballpark with vendors and police officers, measuring out locations, sidewalk sizes, etc. Originally council member Catania said he would not support the bill because of the "haphazard" way that the new slots would be awarded to vendors (Barry took offense to "haphazard," but I think he was misunderstanding what Catania was referring to, which was the lottery system and not the identifying of new slots).

Barry asked for the vote to be deferred, and at 7:50 pm, it returned to the agenda, with some tweaked wording--the mayor has until June 21 to add these 14 new positions and hold a lottery for them that will allow the winners to have the spaces until the end of the year. (The lottery for the original 28 spaces will be handled as before, with new drawings held every month for the spaces.) Council sources tell me that the original version of the bill required that 14 new slots go to RFK vendors only--the amended version allows any qualified applicant to enter the lottery for these spots. This gave Catania what he needed to support the bill; Cheh and Wells renewed their objections. In the end there were enough votes to pass the bill on an emergency basis.

Catania was strongly in favor of preferences for District residents, but those have proven problematic when attempted in other areas. However, Barry said that he and Catania and Graham will work on ways to get a residential preference, perhaps by leasing the slots, which would then allow the city to use Local, Small, Disadvantaged Business (LSDBE) rules. More to come, I'm sure.

There's an emergency bill to correct a problem with the 2005 bill that transferred Tingey Street to the city--a drafting error apparently drew the road through part of the Pattern Shop Lofts.

And the "Taxation Without Representation Federal Tax Pay-Out Message Board Installation Act of 2007" (Bill 17-0028) is finally getting a vote--this is the bill that would put electronic tote boards on the Wilson Building and the ballpark showing the federal taxes that District residents pay while still having no votiing representation in Congress. You can read more about it here and here--I don't know if the bill being voted on today has the same language as the original one introduced in 2007, since the council was told pretty clearly by the Sports and Entertainment Commission that the stadium's lease agreement states that the Nationals control the signage on the stadium's interior, exterior, and perimeter, and the DCSEC's outside counsel feels that this tote-board bill "could conflict" with the lease.

But first up, on the consent agenda, is the bill to close the alley between South Capitol and Van just north of the old BP Amoco station on N Street across from the ballpark. This request is coming from Monument Realty, so they can combine the Amoco lot with the parking lot to the north of the alley and develop the site as a residential building with somewhere between 180 and 210 rental units, with 15 or 16 of them being affordable units priced at between 50 and 80 percent of the area median income. There would also be about 14,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.

I failed my fiduciary duty to ever post a summary of the hearing on this bill held back in May, but most of what was said at the council hearing wasn't too different from the presentation about the closing to ANC 6D in January. Monument's representatives told the council that they would expect to start the project approximately 18 months after receiving the alley closing (depending on market conditions, of course), meaning it wouldn't deliver before 2011. Monument is not so far committing to any sort of LEED certification for the building (though I imagine that changes if they don't build it before the city's new green building laws go into effect). The project would also need a Capitol Gateway Overlay Review by the Zoning Commission.

The hearing starts at 10 am, and can be seen on DC Cable 13 or via streaming video. I'll update this entry later today with the various outcomes.

UPDATE: I haven't started watching the proceedings yet (I'll be spending my evening fast-forwarding through them), but the Post's DC Wire blog has an entry on another bill of interest being brought up today, to improve upon the locations carved out for street vendors near the ballpark (here's the map). Some council members want the vendors much closer (presumably, along Half and N streets), which the Nationals and MLB are not much in favor of. Other council members say that bringing the vendors closer should wait until the construction near the ballpark is completed. We'll see what happens with the bill today.

FAST-FORWARDING UPDATE: What more could I want to do with my evening than to sit here speeding through 8-plus hours of city council proceedings? Here's what I'm finding:

* The Square 700 alley closing passed its first reading on the consent agenda.

* The Tax Pay-Out Message Board bill passed its first reading--Chairman Gray said that the second message board would be built "on public space near the Washington Nationals baseball stadium," which gets around the problems I described above with the original bill. Apparently Chairman Gray had discussions with the Nationals earlier this year about putting the sign at the ballpark, and the Nationals did not indicate any sort of desire to have the sign, so the compromise was hatched to put it on public land near the ballpark (I'm trying to find out where). Marion Barry pronounced himself "appalled" at the Nationals' refusal to put up the sign at the city-funded ballpark, calling the team "not good citizens." The sign at the Wilson Building is to be erected in time for the 2009 presidential inauguration, so that the entire parade can march right past it.

* The "Tingey Street, SE Right of Way Amendment Emergency Act of 2008" passed its first reading, so the street will no longer run through Building 160. Whew!

* I'm going to address the vending expansion bill in a new entry. Check back later for that.

* The Post's Al Kamen reports on the accessibility problems at the US DOT HQ: "Agency officials say the building -- the first entirely designed and constructed for a federal agency since 9/11 -- was built with guidance from disability experts and help from the U.S. Access Board and the General Services Administration. But dozens of employees with disabilities began to have problems -- some caused by security precautions -- as soon as the 6,000 workers moved in last summer. There were several safety issues, such as fire alarms without blinking lights for the hearing-impaired, and there were doors that required too much strength to open. Employees were especially frustrated by cafeteria tray slides that are so high that employees who use wheelchairs cannot reach their food, a violation of standards and a constant annoyance." DOT issued some "guidelines" that didn't exactly soothe the ruffled feathers.

* Yesterday the Nationals Dream Foundation unveiled the renderings for their planned baseball academy at Fort Dupont Park in Ward 7. As described by MLB.com, "Slated as a 16,000 square foot facility with three fields on 10 acres, the academy will be a year-round youth development program committed to helping youth with the skills necessary to succeed in life, and to become responsible, productive citizens in their community." The Nationals have put up $3.5 million, and the city has committed $3 million, and so the foundation is looking for corporate sponsorships to fund the rest of the $10 million price tag for the project, which is looking to emulate the Harlem RBI academy in New York. I was interested to hear in the presentation that the academy would not only groom baseball players, but teach groundskeeping, broadcasting, scouting, coaching, and other parts of the whole baseball experience. On hand for yesterday's announcement were Nats Dimitri Young, Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, and Willie Harris, who you can see in this embarrassingly poor-quality photo.

* This passage from a New York Times piece on how the cost of fuel is changing the way America thinks about its "exurbs" is one that caught my eye: "Coors Field, the intimate, brick-fronted baseball stadium for the Colorado Rockies, has transformed the surrounding area from a desolate skid row into fashionable Lower Downtown, a neighborhood of restaurants and microbreweries in restored warehouses. Along the Platte River, new condos set on a park strip offer an arresting tableau of glass, steel, and futuristic geometry, attracting throngs of buyers at rising prices. 'This is a city where it's fun to be in the center,' said Tim Burleigh, 56, who sold his house in the suburbs and now walks to Rockies games from his downtown condo. To Denver's mayor, John W. Hickenlooper, $4 gasoline offers a useful incentive for such plans. 'It can be an accelerator,' he said[....] 'It's not going to be the dagger in the heart of suburban sprawl, but there's a certain inclination, a certain momentum back toward downtown.' "

Some items on upcoming ballpark festivities that might be of interest:

* With thanks to reader JM for catching word of this at last Saturday's game, I've found out from the Nationals that they will be showing baseball-themed movies on the HD scoreboard after Saturday night games. The first one wlll be Rookie of the Year, this Saturday (June 28) after the Nats play the Orioles. There will also be another one (title yet to be announced) after the July 12 game against the Astros. More details on this should be forthcoming from the Nationals in the next few days.

* If you ladies want to learn the ins and outs of baseball, this event on Saturday June 28 at 10 am is for you: "The Washington Nationals will host their second annual Baseball 101 Clinic, an exclusive opportunity for women to learn hitting, pitching and fielding with Nationals coaches and players. Following the on-field portion of the event, attendees will enjoy a buffet lunch and a question and answer session moderated by Nationals sideline reporter Debbi Taylor. Felipe Lopez, Nationals second baseman, and his wife, Nationals First Lady Jenn Lopez, will address the women about what life is like for a family in the Major Leagues. Nationals Massage Therapist Tatiana Tchamouroff will also speak to the group about her position with the team and what her job entails. The cost of attending the day's event is $85. In addition to the clinic and luncheon, participants will receive a Baseball 101 t-shirt and two Mezzanine Level tickets to that evening's game against the Baltimore Orioles at 7:10pm. Interested parties may register in advance via the Community Page at nationals.com Walk-up registration is available beginning at 9:00am on Saturday at the Center Field Gate and requires payment in full."

* Repeating an item buried in yesterday morning's update: If you can get your hands on a copy of the Southwester (the neighborhood newspaper of Southwest), there's a coupon for $3 off any $10 or higher ticket at the ballpark on "Neighborhood Nights" (i.e., every Friday night home game).

* And, while I was writing this entry, word arrived from the Nationals that they have "partnered with the Spanish Beisbol Network to launch Spanish radio broadcasts of all Nationals games. The broadcast will debut on WZHF 1390AM on Friday, June 27, when the Nationals face the Baltimore Orioles at 7:35pm." A Spanish language version of the official team web site, losnacionales.com, launched in April.

UPDATE: WBJ now also reports that the groups plan "to sue D.C. and the federal government for failing to clean up toxic waste on Poplar Point after the city received $3.4 million from the federal government to do so in 2002."

* Also in the WBJ, word that the transfer of 67 acres of federal property along the Anacostia in Hill East is snagged because the Architect of the Capitol has rejected DC's four proposed sites for a new AOC mail-sorting facility.

* This week's City Paper is a huge "Hoods and Services" issue, giving cutesy names to various areas of the city (Capitol Hill becoming C-Spanistan, for instance) and ranking them on various categories. Near Southeast and Southwest become one area called "Nats Flats," though it's not clear from the accompanying essay that they really understand that most of the streets right by the ballpark are actually in Southeast and not Southwest.