Nationals Park surrounded by construction

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WASHINGTON, March 24 (UPI) -- Nationals Park, the new home of the Washington Nationals, is surrounded by construction zones that stretch for blocks, despite its impending opening.

The park, which is scheduled to host its first game during the coming weekend, is surrounded by the shells of soon-to-be office buildings and condominiums, as well as an operating Metro station that remains home to visible concrete and multiple steel girders, The Washington Post reported Monday.

The 500-acre area houses about $6.1 billion of construction projects, including 12 million square

feet of office space, 9,000 condominiums and apartments, 1,200 hotel rooms and 800,000 square feet of stores, restaurants and various entertainment outlets.

"It's really going to be the center of a lot of development," said former Mayor Anthony Williams, D, who pushed for the ballpark's development in the southeast region of the District.

D.C. Council member Jack Evans, D-Ward 2, urged patience in awaiting the completion of the area's projects.

"You're looking at a decade before you really see the effects of the baseball stadium. But it will happen," he said.