Opening day at CarMax Park has arrived.

Why it matters: It took three decades for Richmond to get here.

The big picture: Richmond's new baseball stadium is the culmination of negotiations that spanned four mayors, two baseball teams and, at various points, a half-dozen alternate locations.

• Mayor Avula will be there tonight, opening night, but it was his predecessor, former Mayor Levar Stoney, who got the deal done.
• The result: CarMax Park, which at around $130 million, is one of the priciest minor league baseball stadiums ever, the Times-Dispatch reports.
• The ballpark is also the centerpiece of the $2.4 billion, 67-acre Diamond District development, the largest development deal in the city's history.

Here's how we got here.

Flashback: The battle for a new ballpark began in 2000. That's when the region's former minor league team, the Richmond Braves, first started noticing issues at The Diamond, the stadium that opened for them in 1985, per the Times-Dispatch.

• Soon after, a chunk of concrete the size of a human head fell from the ceiling into the stands during a game.
• By 2004, as field flooding forced the team to postpone multiple games, former city manager Calvin Jamison proposed a new stadium in Shockoe Bottom.
• The next year, Mayor Doug Wilder briefly floated the idea of building the stadium near Fulton, in the East End, per Style Weekly.
• By 2008, the Braves said they'd had enough of the floods and the rodent-prone stadium and would move the team to Georgia.

Zoom in: The Flying Squirrels landed in Richmond in 2010, lured here with the promise of a new stadium very, very soon.

• In 2013, Mayor Dwight Jones proposed building a new stadium in Shockoe Bottom, a plan that drew widespread pushback.
• Nearly a decade later, in 2021, the city finally opened requests for proposals for a new stadium, one that kept baseball on Arthur Ashe Boulevard.
• They announced the deal in 2022, with the ballpark funded through bonds backed by revenue from the Diamond District development.
• Two years later, already set to miss Minor League Baseball's 2025 stadium deadline, City Council approved a new financing plan, one that could put the city and taxpayers on the hook for the full cost of the new stadium.

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A legal threat, a $6.5 million funding dispute and an unresolved VCU deal are hanging over Richmond's new ballpark on opening day.

Why it matters: Officials aren't publicly saying where those fights stand, and taxpayer money is on the line.

The big picture: The Navigators, the parent company of the Flying Squirrels, threatened legal action this year against the city's Economic Development Authority, claiming they're owed $6.5 million in stadium-related costs.

• While the EDA voted last month to increase its contribution to the ballpark from $114 million to $120 million, neither side has indicated whether the dispute has been resolved.
• Neither the city nor the Navigators responded to Axios' questions about whether the fight is over — or escalating.

What else is unclear: Whether the Navigators and VCU will reach an agreement to allow the university's baseball team to play at CarMax Park. Negotiations reportedly resumed last month.

• VCU, the Navigators and the city didn't return a request for comment.

What we're watching: Whether updates get brought up at the EDA's next board meeting on April 23.

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Editor's note: This story has been updated with more details about The Navigators

🏠 Richmond officials are considering handing off the RVA Stay program to a nonprofit to distribute the remaining $3.2 million in housing aid to low-income residents. (Times-Dispatch)

• Why: The finance department doesn't have the capacity to manage it.

⚡️ Virginia is set to rejoin RGGI, a climate change pact aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, on July 1 — which could add a monthly charge to customers' electric bills. (Virginia Mercury)

🌲 Virginia State Parks plan to hire more than 900 rangers to staff up for the summer season. (WSLS-TV)

☕️ Grit Coffee is expanding to Hanover next month, making the Mechanicsville location the third Grit spot in the region. (BizSense)

Here's everything to know if you're planning to hit up a game for CarMax Park's inaugural season.

🎒 A clear bag policy is in effect, but diaper and medical bags are allowed. Purses, backpacks, etc. are not.

🅿️ Parking is $10 a car, credit and debit only.

🐶 Dogs are allowed (for free!) at every Wednesday home game.

🎟️ Individual game tickets are $12.70-$35.60, depending on where you sit, and what kind of seat you want.

🌭 On the menu: Fried chicken sandwiches and tenders ($12), premium burgers ($8.50-$12), nachos and fries ($5-$5.50), and, of course, hot dogs ($4.50).

🍻 To imbibe: Domestic ($8.75) and premium ($10.75) 16-ounce beer cans and a souvenir, 20-ounce domestic draft ($10).

If you go: Tonight's season opener is sold out, but tickets are still available for the games Wednesday-Sunday.

• CarMax Park is at 2929 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard.

Keep reading for more, including the giveaways and fireworks

The Flying Squirrels are going all in on game-day extras with CarMax Park.

Why it matters: If you want to book one of the premium suites, it might cost you.

The suites include:

• The Landing, Power Alley Porch and The Woodfin Yard: Open-air group spaces. $800 minimum for 20 tickets, $40 for additional tickets. Includes a 90-minute buffet.
• Rail Car Suites: Private open-air space. $1,500 for 20 tickets and two parking passes.
• Dugout Suites: Basically on the field. $3,000 for 50 people or $6,000 for 100. Optional catering menu available.

🪭 Sold out for 2026: Climate-controlled, uber luxury spaces, including: Atlantic Union Bank Lounge, City View Suite and The Legacy Club.

Keep reading for the rest of the extras