''We meet with (UDA today), and we want to find out how parking and pedestrian traffic is affected by how far west of the bridge it is,'' Mr. Brown said.
The consultant's top recommendation was a football stadium south of Pete Rose Way and between Central Avenue and Elm Street. The consultant showed three scenarios.
Slight shifts in location represent potential problems with land acquisition and agreement with the
Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) over Plum Street and Elm Street access to a newly rebuilt Fort Washington Way.
Hamilton County commission President Bob Bedinghaus said he believes the exact football site can be decided within days.
''With minor tweaking from OKI, we could get what we need for football,'' he said.
The Bengals have begun selling seats in their new stadium, which lacks a location. Contract negotiations with Bengals stadium architect, NBBJ Sports & Entertainment, can progress only to a point until the project cost is determined, which is nearly impossible without a site. Nor can NBBJ design a stadium exterior.
UDA also said Cincinnati should fix three urban design mistakes that have been made on the riverfront. The city should narrow Fort Washington Way to one-third its width, build a continuous waterfront park and develop public transportation, be it light rail or a shuttle.
Ideally, the transport would connect both sides of the river, north to the University of Cincinnati area.
The UDA analysis presented Thursday was a step toward narrowing the stadium sites, though it still has large holes, city and county officials said. Most questions have to do with cost - how much is the land for each option, what expense is involved in developing each site, when can the sites be ready.
''Very clearly, there is still a need for a lot more analysis,'' said Mayor Roxanne Qualls.
The consultant laid out three options for a baseball stadium site.
The Big Bang
UDA calls this first option the Big Bang because it could turn Cincinnati into a top tourism destination, on par with a city like San Antonio. It's small, it's not a first-tier city, but it is one of the most frequently visited cities in the the United States, said a UDA principal.
It would place the football stadium on the western edge of the central riverfront and the Reds stadium where Cinergy Field now sits.
In addition, public officials would have to commit to finding four non-
profit attractions that could fit between the two stadiums, be it an aquarium, an Underground Railroad Museum, an IMAX theater or a Reds Hall of Fame.
The four attractions would come at a price of $220 million, UDA said. UDA can recommend sources such as federal and foundation grants for all but $50 million, they said, but that $50 million would rest with local governments - and taxpayers.
Together, the stadiums and
non-profit attractions would bring in 6 million visitors a year, which, according to UDA's economic consultant Don Zuchelli, is adequate for private investment to begin. That would mean a multiplex cinema, restaurants, arcades and more.
Ms. Qualls said it is ''very nice'' to talk about an urban entertainment center, but she wondered about the rest of downtown.
She questioned whether the four non-profit attractions could get done over the next five or seven years and what happens to the economic impact if they don't.
Mr. Bedinghaus stressed there is ''zero commitment'' on the part of the city or the county to subsidize an urban entertain district.
Rebuilding baseball on the Cinergy Field site would mean that the Reds would have to play in the Bengals new stadium for up to three seasons.
Cincinnati Nameplate
This option would place the Reds at the current site of Riverfront Coliseum. The Coliseum could be demolished and a Reds stadium built even while the team continued to play at Cinergy Field.
Both this and the Big Bang option involve extending the city grid of streets from downtown to the riverfront, which can be very expensive to do on a floodplain.
The nameplate option provides flexibility in development. It does not assume more public investment, but the payoff in private investment is likely much smaller, the consultant said.
It leaves open the option of developing an urban entertainment district at some time in the future.
Baseball at Broadway
This option would boost nascent development in Over-the-Rhine, including businesses and housing. It could revitalize this neighborhood, and at the same time capitalize on the existing entertainment district developing along Main Street.
As UDA pointed out, it would please advocates, who are growing by the week. Last week, the local chapter of professional architects endorsed this site.
Jim Tarbell, a local restaurateur, said the recommendation was a vindication of the site. He was particularly encouraged by UDA's judgment that parking could be made adequate and that the economic benefits would be immediate.
''That's what we've been saying all along,'' Mr. Tarbell said after the meeting. ''They did their homework ... I've said from the beginning, the more you hear from Broadway, the better it gets.''
The downside is that this option would draw baseball fans away from the riverfront, the consultant said. Also, it would rule out the grand plan of an urban economic district.
One of the most startling conclusions was that the stadiums themselves would generate only $2 million to $3 million in additional economic impact, according to UDA.
''The reason that the economic impact of two new stadiums is not that great is that you already have them,'' UDA's Mr. Carter said. ''If you were starting from a zero base, the impact would be phenomenal.''
Mr. Bedinghaus said much work remains to be done, and though he had hoped for a site decision for both stadiums by year's end, ''I'd rather take time and make sure sure it gets done right.''
He said both teams want the site immediately adjacent west of the Roebling suspension bridge and that neither team will likely end up with the site they absolutely wanted most.
Reds managing executive John Allen said after the meeting, ''It's important that two-thirds of their selectons are on the riverfront, where we have indicated we'd like to be. Wherever we end up, it has to be in a place that gives the Reds stadium immediate recognition.''
Geoff Hobson contributed to this report.
