The Washington Nationals may have just won their first game, but don’t expect any of that home-team spirit to carry over into the on-going debate over the new stadium the Nationals are to occupy starting in 2008.

The Post is reporting today that D.C. CFO Natwar Gandhi came under fire this week for allegedly under-estimating how much the District would pay to acquire the land in Southeast where the stadium is to be built. Gandhi issued a report last week pegging the cost of acquiring land, building infrastructure, and conducting environmental assesments at $161.35 million, a shade short of the $165 million limit imposed by the Council last December during the final negotiations for the stadium legislation. If that limit were to be exceeded, the city would be forced to look for a new locale for the stadium-to-be — no easy task considering looming construction deadlines.

Consistent stadium critics David Catania (I-At Large) and Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large) noted that the cost of acquiring the needed 14 acres of land — currently divided into 63 lots with 33 different owners — could well surpass the $77.1 million Gandhi estimated. Local landowners have claimed that they will fight for the highest possible price, or take the city to court over the sale or condemnation of their properties.

D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams has declared his intention to take the needed lands using the power of eminent domain if all else fails, but this move may be complicated by a ruling expected by the U.S. Supreme Court this summer. The court heard arguments in late February concerning how liberally eminent domain could be interpreted, stemming from a 1998 case in which city officials in New London, Conn., took control of properties in an economically-depressed area so to promote development opportunities in hopes of expanding tax revenues. A decision against the City of New London could limit the options available to Williams.

>>DCist on the stadium

The image of the land needed for the stadium taken from ballparks.com