Luxury Rentals Offers Best Views For Baseball Games During Pandemic

The best seats to watch a game on Opening Day won't be found behind home plate or in a stadium suite. With MLB games set to be played without fans during the coronavirus pandemic, residential complexes are the way to get the closest look at live baseball.

Many new major-league ballparks have become the center of luxury apartment complexes. One such building is located in Washington D.C., featuring units that overlook centerfield at Nationals Park.

The luxury apartments at West Half in the nation’s capital will provide a clear view of the Opening Day game between the World Series champion Nationals and New York Yankees.

“Our residents are very excited about game day,” Tiffany Butcher, executive vice president of residential and management at JBG, which owns and developed West Half, told CNBC.

The St. Louis Cardinals and The Cordish Cos. joined forces to provide renters with a similar experience. The two are partners in a $120 million ballpark-side luxury rental building that offers units overlooking Busch Stadium.

Opening in August shortly after the start of the season, the building is more than half full.

“Your typical new construction apartment building opens about 10% to 15% leased. We’re 65% leased today, a few days before the first move in,” said Nick Benjamin, Cordish’s vice president of development, according to CNBC. “We’ve leased well on pace with our budgets and projections through Covid-19, and now, we’re really starting to see momentum pick up as we get close to the start of the season.”

When San Diego resident Chip Messenger shared a photo of his view of Petco Park on social media, he received requests from strangers asking if they could join him in his apartment to watch Padres games.

“They tell me, ‘I’ll bring the beer. I’ll bring the fish tacos. Do you remember me from first grade? Do you need a new best friend?” Messenger said, via ABC10 News in San Diego.

A development that includes rental apartments and restaurants near Atlanta’s Truist Park might be the best way to watch the Braves. It’s located in The Battery Atlanta, which will use outdoor screens to show games to fans.