Half St. Battle Could Snarl Progress Near Ballpark

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A DEVELOPMENT FIGHT over a Metro bus garage near the Washington Nationals' new stadium in Near Southeast is threatening to spoil Opening Day next year.

Metro General Manager John Catoe has recommended selling the facility, located at Half Street SE, to the developer Akridge. But another developer, Monument Realty, said the District and Metro officials promised the land to them years ago, The Post's David Nakamura and Paul Duggan report this morning. The disagreement has opened up the possibility of a lawsuit.

Monument already controls much of the property near the stadium and has spent a pretty penny to acquire it — upwards of $100 million.

The development battle isn't the stadium project's only hitch, Nakamura and Duggan report: Metro's expansion of the Navy Yard station on the Green Line is seven weeks behind schedule. Meanwhile, efforts to secure enough parking spaces for game-day use are also flagging. Federal officials have nixed a plan for Nats fans to use the underground garage at the new U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters for, you guessed it, security reasons.

The good news? Construction of the ballpark itself is on schedule.

» "Struggles Cloud Stadium Progress" [WaPo]
» RELATED: "Half Street" [JD Land]