D.C.'s baseball stadium is on the way - or is it? Currently the stadium is only three votes away from not happening. Three voters abstained from voting on the issue of the stadium's location, slated to be in Southeast D.C. Some of the residents of Southeast D.C. are not so thrilled with that idea.
The three blocks where the stadium may be built are home to several businesses and five houses. In order for the stadium's construction to begin, those businesses and houses must be demolished and relocated. They will be compensated for this, of course. However, the compensation they are planned to receive in some cases is drastically lower then the amount they could have gotten in the free market.
The Washington Sculpture Center was offered $2.5 million last year for its plot. However, the relocation reinbursement it will receive, based on calculations of the property taxes it pays, is only $600,000, which has to cover the expense of moving (literally) tons of furnaces, casting equipment and kilns.
If people are going to be required to move their homes and livelihoods, they deserve proper compensation and notification. Many of those living in the three-block area planned for the construction site claim they are not being kept informed about the progress of the stadium.
The mayor has claimed that no taxpayers' money will be used in the construction and that the stadium will add revenue to the city. These claims are being disputed by those who want greater consideration given to the people whose lives will be affected by the construction. After all, it is common for people to be driven out of their neighborhoods when something massive moves in right next door. The stadium may drive up the property values, while income for the residents will not go up at the same time or rate. Residents may no longer be able to afford to live in the area and will consequently have to move.
The baseball stadium is a greatly anticipated addition to D.C. for many, but keep in mind that it will have a negative effect on some people.
Traffic could increase, and if revenue does not pan out as planned, the entire thing could end up being nothing more then a waste of funding. Either way, those people who will have to move to accommodate the stadium should receive adequate compensation. They are changing their lives to accomodate the leisure of others.
