As part of its deal with the Major League Baseball, the city is required to provide 1,225 parking places for the stadium by the time it opens in April 2008. If the parking is not provided by opening day, the MLB could fine the city."The reality is this action will allow the project to stay on time, within the cost cap, while meeting the District's obligation to minimize costs to the city and to its residents," said Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty in a statement.

DC developer Herb Miller proposed building a larger mixed-use project on the site that would include two 13-story towers, a hotel, condos and restaurants. Parking for the stadium would also be included. The plan met resistance because of fears that it would not be completed in time. In a statement released in response to the vote, he said that the decision results in the loss of $65 million for the Community Benefits Fund, plus nearly $130 million in tax value. Also, that the stand-alone garages will be unsightly.

Proponents of the parking garages point to the whirlwind of building taking place along the waterfront now to prove the city is not throwing away development. Hoffman-Struever Waterfront LLC's $800-million plan to develop the 47-acre stretch of public waterfront along the Washington Channel, for instance, was recently approved by the Anacostia Waterfront Corp. Other large scale mixed use projects are also under way, such as the planned redevelopment of Southeast Federal Center, a 44-acre project along the Anacostia River.