Mayor-to-be Adrian Fenty is probably marveling at the sheer irony of the situation — a project he voted against may become his first challenge as the District’s chief executive.

As the Post reported last weekend, the development plans for the area around the new stadium have largely fallen apart, virtually assuring that the April 2008 opening date will find the Washington Nationals playing in an area that remains desolate and under-developed. The problem? Developer Herb Miller couldn’t secure the proper financing for two 13-story condominium towers adjacent to the stadium, a project that the Nats’ new owners, the Lerner Group, were never much fond of. Instead, the Lerner’s are pushing for the city to find enough parking for 5,000 cars, a prospect that may permanently limit the area’s development potential and starve the city of the tax revenue they need to finance the $611 million in construction bonds.

And herein lies the irony. Fenty consistently voted against the public financing of the stadium, arguing that in one way or another the city would end us using public funds to finance the bonds. His concerns were often brushed aside by Mayor Anthony Williams and other baseball boosters who contended that the sheer development of the area and the increase in tax revenue would more than cover the yearly financing charges. The development may still come, but chances are that the city will take the easy way out and pave over enough lots to provide the requested 5,000 parking spots — thus delaying any commercial or residential growth for years after the stadium opens.