It is the rare real estate developer that cares about place

Two approaches to parking. Washington Post graphic.

I haven't been keeping up with the online Post (I'll actually go back and read every printed issue when I come back) so I needed Paul Johnson to let me know about this article, "Nationals Say No to Underground Parking," which indicates that the Lerner family has absolutely no interest in trying to make a great place around the ballpark, unless they make money from it.

So much for that strength of family and connection to the community that shaped his decision to award the team to the Montgomery County-based Lerner Family, according to what Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig told us about his decision on which ownership group to pick.

From "After 17 Months, Baseball Introduces Nats' Owners":

Selig told reporters that it was the "family model" of the Lerner group and Lerner's strong roots in the Washington area that persuaded him to award them the team. Lerner will oversee a Nationals ownership group of 14 investors that includes his son Mark D. Lerner, who will run the franchise, and his sons-in-law, Edward L. Cohen and Robert K. Tanenbaum.

"The family model meant a lot to me," Selig said. "I've seen the family model work and it works well. There's continuity. There's stability. If you look back in our history, the family model works well. The family ownership was very important and the depth of their commitment to philanthropy was most impressive."

But it makes sense, Bud Selig was a car dealer. And the Lerners' decision is about paying fealty to the car rather than to place.
It's not perfect, but you can see how Wrigley Field lies within the physical grid of the neighborhood. Photo of Wrigley Field by Primitive Wallflower.

Now, I happen to not be surprised in the least. I wrote about this a few weeks ago, in "I'm shocked shocked that the Lerners think like suburbanites...." I can understand their desire to open the stadium on time, with the fewest amount of inconveniences for their customers. On the other hand, I think about the baseball stadiums that come to mind as being decent or better experiences--Camden Yards, Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, the old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, and they are all about the experience around the park--because they are integrated into the street grid and life of the city. These aren't shopping malls that people drive to, which is the likely paradigm that shapes the thinking of real estate developers like the Lerners.
"Placemaking by the Lerners." Washington Post photo by Lois Raimondo. Arthur A. Turner Jr. at the Landover Mall which has been shuttered for the past four years as the owner, the Theodore N. Lerner family, decides what to do with it. Demolition crews have begun tearing down parts of the former Mall which borders Landover Road.

Or as the line goes: "it gets worser and worser." How come there aren't more mayors like Joseph Riley? Elected officials who demand quality.

Elise Bernard reminded me about the controversy in Seattle, where the Mayor there is advocating for the replacement of an elevated freeway with an underground tunnel (not much different from what happened in Boston) . To parody the opposition, he had a video created to highlight what he was trying to do, featuring "the Committee to Save Big Ugly Things." (It is controversial because of how the video was produced, but it's still good--promoting quality and beautiful places over bad.)

Watch the spoof video. Quicktime (YouTube)

Maybe we'll have to make a similar video for DC...

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