Festival Park near Nationals Park wins OK
Original Article: http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/04/13/daily24.html
The still-struggling area around Nationals Park has been plagued with stalled development plans caused by a lack of funding.
In an effort to finally give baseball fans another option besides the game itself, Georgetown Events has partnered with Stroud Productions and Akridge Realty to create “The Festival Park on Half Street,” a 14,400-square-foot recreation area which will be located outside the center field entrance of the ballpark.
Festival Park near Nationals Park wins OK
Original Article: http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/04/13/daily24.html
The still-struggling area around Nationals Park has been plagued with stalled development plans caused by a lack of funding.
In an effort to finally give baseball fans another option besides the game itself, Georgetown Events has partnered with Stroud Productions and Akridge Realty to create “The Festival Park on Half Street,” a 14,400-square-foot recreation area which will be located outside the center field entrance of the ballpark.
Approved on Monday by the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, the site would include a tent of approximately 5,000 square feet in which alcoholic beverages would be served. The remaining space would contain food vendors, a temporary stage for live music, a children’s activity area and a possible batting cage area with live instruction.
The children’s area will be run through the partnership between Georgetown Events and Headfirst, a baseball instruction operation designed for D.C. area children and led by Brendan Sullivan.
“Akridge at Half Street will be the hub of retail and entertainment activities in the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood,” said Matthew Klein, president of Akridge. “Similar to Akridge’s Gallery Place development, we look forward to a successful live-work-play destination at this important gateway site. Though we still have some work to do before construction can commence, the site has been prepared to host pre- and post-game events in the meantime. Through our partnership with Georgetown Events, we expect the baseball crowds to enjoy food, drinks, games and family friendly activities throughout the season. It will be a great opportunity to come early and stay late at Nationals Park.”
The Festival Park aims to start operations within the next few weeks and will be open from 3 hours before a game until 2 hours after the game. It will also be open on some days when the Nationals are not playing in D.C.
“It’s a high-risk project for us with the team’s performance being poor,” said Robert Blair, president of Georgetown Events. “We need the ability to use the space on days other than game days.”
Blair also hopes to draw fans with discounted food and beverages.
“Prices will be substantially lower than prices inside the park,” he said.
