It may soon be known as the stadium that could have been.

Last week the architects from HOK Sport — the firm charged with designing a new stadium for the Washington Nationals — presented their vision to a select group of city officials and journalists, the first step in what has been a year-long process between agreeing to build the stadium and its ground-breaking and construction. The Post described the stadium-to-be as such:

The stadium, which will be along the Anacostia River in near Southeast, features an exterior wall largely made of glass and broken up by limestone portals, according to city sources who have seen the drawings. Aspects of the design create a translucent quality, offering fans inside views of the surrounding neighborhood and teasing those outside with glimpses of game activities.

But given recent developments, this innovative stadium design may never see the light of day. The Post is reporting today that further increases in the cost of the stadium’s construction have forced the city to set aside $55 million in infrastructure improvements to the surrounding area, the last in a long line of desperate attempts to keep costs under the council-mandated $535 million price tag. Those improvements were to include re-paving roads around the stadium and the expansion of the Navy Yard Metro stop, whose capacity has to increase from the current 5,000 people per hour to 15,000 per hour to accommodate expected Metro use on game days. City officials are hoping that private developers and the federal government will pick up the tab for those improvements, though that hope may be the best they will get.