Hamilton County officials are unveiling a new vision for Cincinnati's riverfront today as the county and the Reds close in on a deal to build a new riverfront ballpark.
A deal between the county and team to build a riverfront stadium appears imminent. Hamilton County Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus said Tuesday a deal could be struck as soon as today.
County Administrator David Krings will conduct a rare, public briefing of stadium negotiations with commissioners at their meeting this morning.
New drawings of the riverfront obtained by The Cincinnati Enquirer Tuesday show the Bengals' Paul Brown Stadium to the west, a conceptual design of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center at the foot of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge and a conceptual design of a new Reds ballpark to the east, next to The Crown.
Mr. Bedinghaus and Commission President Tom Neyer Jr. declined to say whether a stadium announcement would come today.
Mr. Bedinghaus said only, "We're moving in the right direction." Mr. Neyer said simply, "I'll know more after hearing from Dave Krings."
Stadium talks have been at the "any day now" stage for more than a week. Reds negotiators reportedly met with suspended Reds CEO Marge Schott last week to try to get her blessing for the deal. County officials have said repeatedly they won't enter into a stadium deal without Mrs. Schott's signature. Major League Baseball, however, insists Reds Managing Executive John Allen has the authority to make a deal without Mrs. Schott's approval.
Even as negotiations have moved toward a riverfront deal, backers of the rival stadium site have stepped up their efforts.
Last week, Cincinnati City Councilman Todd Portune announced a countywide ballot initiative in an effort to give voters a chance to cast a ballot for Broadway Commons, the site at Broadway and Reading Road that he favors over the riverfront.
Mr. Portune and Broadway booster Jim Tarbell are leading the effort. Hamilton County Commissioner John Dowlin, the only commissioner who favors Broadway, supports the initiative, he said.
Mr. Bedinghaus is an avowed fan of a riverfront ballpark, and Mr. Neyer has said he'll vote for a riverfront site if the county and team can strike a deal.
An aerial view of Baseball on Main.
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Broadway supporters have blasted the riverfront site, known as Baseball on Main or the "Wedge," as unworkable and unattractive. Construction of a stadium next to The Crown would require demolishing part of Cinergy Field's parking garage and seating bowl while the Reds continue to play there.
Mr. Dowlin, who had not seen the drawings Tuesday, questioned why the county would authorize new drawings of a riverfront ballpark without requesting new drawings of a stadium at Broadway.
"It's all Wedge propaganda," he said. "All of this is a public relations attempt to show that the Wedge is just beautiful. And in my opinion, it's a wedge."
Mr. Bedinghaus and Mr. Neyer said the county asked Pittsburgh-based Urban Design Associates to create the drawings to show how a new riverfront ballpark could look once Fort Washington Way is narrowed, Cinergy Field is demolished, the freedom center is completed and 26 acres of park land is in place.
"We find that as people look at these, people are beginning to find this a pretty compelling direction," Mr. Bedinghaus said. UDA was hired by the county and the city of Cincinnati to guide planning of Cincinnati's riverfront, but Mr. Bedinghaus said the county requested these most recent drawings on its own.
In earlier work, the consultants recommended a site for the Bengals' new Paul Brown Stadium and suggested several options for a Reds ballpark, including a ballpark at Broadway and one on the riverfront. The riverfront suggestion assumed the county would buy the coliseum and demolish it.
Mr. Neyer said the firm was a logical choice to do the drawings because UDA knows the community.
Such drawings, he said, help the "negotiators, public officials, the team and the public at large understand that this is not just doable, but beautiful and exciting."
Mr. Dowlin said even if the county and Reds sign a preliminary stadium deal in the form of a memorandum of understanding, efforts to push the countywide ballot initiative will continue.
Broadway backers need 26,800 signatures by July 24 to get the measure on the November ballot.
Negotiators for the county and Reds want a new stadium ready for the 2003 baseball season. Hamilton County voters authorized a sales tax increase in 1996 to build new stadiums for the Reds and Bengals.
Construction of a Bengals stadium is under way and will be completed in August 2000.
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