Field of Schemes: Nats stadium costs busting budget

November 21, 2005

Nats stadium costs busting budget

Even before accounting for the Katrina effect, D.C.'s stadium for the Washington Nationals is threatening to go tens of millions of dollars over budget. With projected construction costs on the glass-and-steel stadium itself up from $244 million to $300 million - hey, those double-decker luxury suites don't build themselves, you know - and land costs up $20 million and rising, city officials are frantically cutting transit and infrastructure funds to keep the project under budget.

Ultimately, though, it's looking more and more certain that the Nats stadium will blow past its legally mandated $585 million limit, and no one's sure where the additional money will come from: sports commission chair Mark Tuohey told the Washington Post that he would ask the federal government and private developers to pay for road improvements, while expanding the Navy Yard Metro station to accommodate baseball crowds could be pushed off onto the Metro agency's budget - or even the city treasury. City councilmember David Catania, who was one of the staunchest opposition voices in last year's stadium debates, says shifting costs to other government sources is a violation of the spending cap passed by the council: Infrastructure costs, he said, "are plainly included. Any effort to place them outside those categories is a violation. . . . This is business as usual around here where the people in power play hide-the-facts."

Meanwhile, MLB officials have warned that they have no intention of extending a December 31 deadline for stadium bonds to be sold, meaning D.C. must agree on a new lease for the Nats by the end of the year, or else be in default of their contract with the league. (As I've noted before, this wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing for the city, as it's not like MLB is exactly in a position to take their team and go home - where would they go, Montreal?) With a continued impasse over whether the team will guarantee annual lease payments - MLB says hell no, D.C. says bond brokers won't finance the stadium without it - this promises to be another fun December in the District. Where's my streaming video?

COMMENTS

I believe $535 million is the limit on the stadium. DC officials have said they do not want to spend more than that on the stadium. Most articles that I read with information on the cost say $535 million. Costs overruns, I think officials want potential owners of the team or the Federal Government to take care of that.
Posted by: CK at November 21, 2005 05:54 PM

I've seen the same articles as you saying a $535 million cap, and they're wrong. The bill that passed committed D.C. to paying $535m plus up to $50m in cost overruns - above that point, and it gets automatically kicked back to the council for a mandatory look at cheaper alternative sites. (See: www.fieldofschemes.com/news/archives/000972.html)
Posted by: Neil at November 21, 2005 10:15 PM

It baffles me that the stadium is going to cost more than the team. Actually, it makes me want to throw up in my mouth.
Posted by: Mase at November 21, 2005 10:27 PM

Wouldn't some of this money be better off spent for a stadium of a team that has been in the DC community for 10 years, has brought the city of DC 4 league championships, several domestic championships, and a few continental championships?
Posted by: Bertell Ollman at November 22, 2005 11:56 AM