I think FC Cincy in Newport helps the region because it will allow Cincy to do more with the convention / US Bank Arena. 

 

I kind of doubt FC goes to Oakley considering it isn't MLS's preferred option, is that right?

 

Also, the strength of NKY is 550k Cincinnatians.  Getting more connected with FC Cincinnati and possibly at some point an extension of the streetcar to NKY would be huge for the region.  The Ohio River is super wide and the politics make it nearly impossible right now but the more and more connected we can get, the better

What strengths exactly does NKY have?  The only thing they have going for them is the fact they're across the river from downtown.

 

They both have fantastic architecture and urban fabric. Madison and Main in Covington are two of the best business districts in the region. Licking Historic District, Mansion Hill, Mainstrasse Village. Overton and Monroe in Newport, between 5th & 8th, may have the nicest tree-lined residential blocks in the region.

Agreed on US Bank Arena. A new shiny renovated arena, and you could still get a shiny new FC Stadium just .75 miles away. Win win.

 

If the Oakley Millworks plan would've been built as originally planned this whole conversation would be different, but as it stands the battle is between the riverfront and a Kroger Marketplace parking lot.

I watched some clips from tonight's community council meeting where the West End stadium was voted down.  I look forward to a similar showing in opposition to Citirama. 

 

These people are so worried about the stadium -- without it, the school board will be under pressure in 5 years to sell the Stargel Stadium site for market-rate housing that will pay much more than what FC is offering them right now.  A huge up-front payment plus no monkey business with a school tax abatement. 

 

If you take a scientific look at the West End...it really isn't that big.  Physically, it is big, but the amount of land available to speculators isn't because of all of the public housing plus Stargel plus District 1.  It will only take a dozen people with money to send the area into a speculative frenzy.  Just one announced market-rate apartment building like The Gantry in Northside and 10-20 custom homes and suddenly every property owner between the parkway and I-75 will be trying to evict their tenants. 

Agreed on US Bank Arena. A new shiny renovated arena, and you could still get a shiny new FC Stadium just .75 miles away. Win win.

 

If the Oakley Millworks plan would've been built as originally planned this whole conversation would be different, but as it stands the battle is between the riverfront and a Kroger Marketplace parking lot.

 

Yeah, can't wait to pregame at all the smoke filled bars along Monmouth, The Brass Ass, smoke filled tourist trap that is Hofbra or Big Daddys Liquor (where when I was in high school at Highlands we'd buy alcohol without IDs)...when I could be at Mad Tree, The Oak, Habits, Oakley Pub or Animations.

 

In all seriousness, the Newport location will be fine but if Oakley was the only option most fans would be pumped about having the stadium in one of the hottest neighborhoods in the city with a short walk to a bar packed biz district and 2nd largest brewery in the area.

 

If the stadium ends up in NKY it will just end up with a bunch of Kentuckians bragging about how Ohio couldn't get it together and how much better Kentucky is. Trust me, I grew up in NKY and that's what we would say when the Levee first opened or comparing Mainstrasse to the bar scene in downtown/OTR in the years between the riot and rebirth. The dislike goes both ways. I still have plenty of friends that talk about not going to Ohio unless they have to and most people in NKY will call themselves Kentuckians way before they'll call themselves Cincinnatians.

I think it should be put at the old Kahn's site on Spring Grove. The site is clear, requires no displacement, and is about 1 million square feet if you count everything, plus another 10 acres of the police impound lot which could be moved anywhere and the whole thing could be done with surface parking. Rhinegeist owns it now.

Rhinegeist is already building their new distribution facility there.

I think it should be put at the old Kahn's site on Spring Grove. The site is clear, requires no displacement, and is about 1 million square feet if you count everything, plus another 10 acres of the police impound lot which could be moved anywhere and the whole thing could be done with surface parking. Rhinegeist owns it now.

 

Don't necessarily disagree that that's a bad site or could help develop an entertainment district/destination there, but that site was never considered, was already under the ownership of someone else (who's now building there), and it isn't going to come into play this late in the game anyways.

 

The stadium is going to go in Oakley or Newport barring some last minute West End gymnastics, but even then that has been a nightmare for all parties involved it seems. Too bad all this discussion had to happen after the election.

Rhinegeist is already building their new distribution facility there.

 

What do they need for distribution? Stagnaro headquarters and Miller beer which  is probably 10 times the volume of Rhinegeist only uses about 300,000 feet of their Lunken property including truck docks and parking. I think there is plenty of room on Spring Grove.

Newport and Covington offer some of the best intact historic neighborhoods in the Midwest. In combination with OTR, the Cincinnati/NKY basin should leverage it's walkable historic neighborhoods to create it's identity the way that people around the country think about New Orleans, Charleston or Boston.

 

Covington has been getting a lot of good press lately, is already one of the best urban neighborhoods in the region and is improving rapidly. It's success should be desired by everyone on this board that wants Cincinnati to do well. Would you rather have Brooklyn or East Saint Louis across the river from you?

 

EDIT: To keep this on topic, this is exactly why FC locating in Newport would be a positive in my opinion. The Greater Cincinnati region doesn't feel connected enough. Many in Ohio see NKY as a vestigial appendage. Even though some Ohioans would give up on FC in Newport, I think it would be a huge positive to help bring together the basin. Rising tide lifts all boats, united we stand divided we fall etc. etc. 

 

I hate to be THAT person, but Kentucky is the South, it doesn't matter if it is directly across the river.  Some of the best neighborhoods in the South no doubt when you look at what exists in southern cities.  And let's be honest, very few cities have lost as much as Cincinnati.  The entire basin has been obliterated by highways and urban renewal.  New Orleans and Boston just take it to another level.  Cincinnati still has a great historic stock that most cities could only dream of, especially in the Midwest.  But the basin is such a small fraction of what it used to be.

 

I have always used the same point in regards to Cincinnati/Covington.  Just look at St. Louis and what's across the river.  It's good that Covington isn't some bombed out city, but again, let's get in touch with reality here, Ohioans aren't the only ones who act like there is a rivalry.  Plenty of Kentucky residents don't have the nicest things to say about Cincinnati either.  Just look at what NKY leaders have done over the last two decades in regards to development in NKY.  They would do anything to bring whatever they could across the river from Cincinnati.  Just the little bit of press coming out about the stadium moving to Newport has shown what leaders in Kentucky are like.  Regionalism is a two-way street, and NKY hasn't exactly been the best partner.

 

Cincinnati has so many issues to work out.  It's great to be optimistic about US Bank renovations, convention center, convention center hotel, etc.  But Cincinnati's leadership has proven time and time again that they can't do much with what they have.

 

I think the West End was by far the best site, but in true form, that will no longer happen because of a small few.  There is blame to go all around though.  FC Cincinnati gave the school board which seems like a very short time to figure something out with  telling them to make a decision on the same day they announced the West End decision.  The school district also got too greedy in what they were asking for and made the decision easy for FC. 

The school board's stubbornness on this $2 million number using the 1999 agreement is just maddening. They act like they took a hit and need to be made whole yet, by giving the property tax abatement in 1999 they actually come out much better than they would have if they did not give the abatement. It is pure lunacy on their part. The number $ 2million was an artificial number that essentially caused no development to occur. The FMV of the taxes to make the school board whole was $750k. How do I know this? Because that is what FC was willing to pay on the open market through negotiations, That was their max. 

 

The people advising them on this $2 million figure are just not realistic.

MissinOhio: I agree with nearly everything you said, though I believe Newport/Covington isn't the South anymore than Hamilton or Portsmouth Ohio. I agree that NKY hasn't been a great partner in regionalism, not even within itself. Boone county, Covington and Newport can't even agree to work together as a NKY entity, and are cannibalizing each other, not to mention many NKY leaders animosity and little brother attitude toward Cincinnati.

 

Maybe I'm naive and optimistic but something as trivial as having a team called FC "Cincinnati" in Kentucky might help people from Newport and Covington (at least) to see themselves as Cincinnatians AND Kentuckians.

MissinOhio: I agree with nearly everything you said, though I believe Newport/Covington isn't the South anymore than Hamilton or Portsmouth Ohio. I agree that NKY hasn't been a great partner in regionalism, not even within itself. Boone county, Covington and Newport can't even agree to work together as a NKY entity, and are cannibalizing each other, not to mention many NKY leaders animosity and little brother attitude toward Cincinnati.

 

Maybe I'm naive and optimistic but something as trivial as having a team called FC "Cincinnati" in Kentucky might help people from Newport and Covington (at least) to see themselves as Cincinnatians AND Kentuckians.

 

I agree with most of what you’ve said in this post, but many of us in Covington and Newport already feel like we’re Cincinnatians AND Kentuckians... at least until anyone mentions NKY on this board and the ugly parochialism comes out.  Most of us work in Cincinnati, we walk from our houses to Reds games, Bengals games, and The Banks, we visit bars and restaurants on both sides of the river, and we are pushing for a streetcar extension to connect all 3 cities.  Now that I'm typing this, the people actually living in Covington and Newport may be the most regionally-minded people in the area.  The NKY suburbs are a different story.

I have a hard time understanding the arguments against the CPS here.  Think logically if this was you.  Would you agree to a fixed rate tax or would you say "you are no different than anyone else?".

 

People go and say, well the West End needs this and you can't get this anywhere else "school tax wise", but CPS represents the whole city of Cincinnati, not just the West End.

 

In the end, they will build citi-rama, development will ramp up in the West End, and CPS will get more out of the residential developments in those spots in the West End then they otherwise would have with a fixed rate from FCC.  In the words of the late Stuart Scott "Don't hate the player (CPS), hate the game (tax laws)"!!!!

 

***I think in life in general, people have a very difficult time thinking in the macro, but I would guess the majority of people are happy CPS stook to their guns***

The thing is, all these developments can negotiate down the taxes. CPS had the power to demand this because they owned the land the stadium and had a much bigger say in whether the deal got done and more control over a negotiated tax payout. As for Citi-Rama, the school board does not control the land. The school board can be cut out of negotiations with developers of that site (or at least their influence strongly muted) if politicians in the city/county/ and in Columbus decide the school board's opinion of value does not matter in this case and the economic development is much more important in this project.  Not saying it will happen but the school board has less power over the land it does not own in this case.

I think the divide between the two sides of the region is stronger with older residents than with the younger generation. When I worked in NKY long-time residents would call Cincinnati the "big city" and they would talk about people on the other side of the river in a derogatory manner.

 

The river they were talking about was the Licking, btw.

^ That is very true. 30 years ago there were less people moving in and out of the region and people stayed in the area they grew up in. There are now a lot of people who move between both states more freely.

West End residents vote on FC Cincinnati stadium as deal’s possibility remains unclear

 

While FC Cincinnati has said publicly that the West End is no longer an option for its stadium, some believe the deal isn’t completely dead. The neighborhood’s community council voted on whether it would welcome the development just in case the club is still interested.

 

About 100 people attended the West End Community Council meeting on Tuesday night, and 65 of them voted on the stadium proposal, the Enquirer reports. Fifty voted against welcoming a stadium to the neighborhood, 10 voted in favor and five abstained as the crowd cheered the result.

 

The council’s 10-member board voted five to four with one abstention in favor of the stadium. They also passed a motion to participate in any community benefits agreement that may be offered as part of the club’s stadium development plan.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/03/21/west-end-residents-vote-on-fc-cincinnati-stadium.html

...and they would talk about people on the other side of the river in a derogatory manner.

 

The river they were talking about was the Licking, btw.

 

LMAO!  That actually is true.

The Hertz Center on Vine was built for $44million, pays $815,000 in tax. The $750k was a non starter. A deal killing offer. No one gets that kind of deal.

...and they would talk about people on the other side of the river in a derogatory manner.

 

The river they were talking about was the Licking, btw.

 

LMAO!  That actually is true.

 

Way off topic bender but relevant to the discussion here

 

Pretty sure this is more performance art that a true political platform. Sadly i live on the wrong side to vote for her.

CPS just passed a resolution approving the terms for a landswap deal for the Stargel site. Despite FCC's statement on Friday and last night's West End Community Council vote, I don't think FCC has given up on the West End site...

 

https://twitter.com/hksparling/status/976472438178549766

Do people believe this will all be over on 3/31?

CPS just passed a resolution approving the terms for a landswap deal for the Stargel site. Despite FCC's statement on Friday and last night's West End Community Council vote, I don't think FCC has given up on the West End site...

 

https://twitter.com/hksparling/status/976472438178549766

 

 

It hasn't.  The stadium is going to be built there.  MLS isn't going to accept Oakley and Lindner III won't build in Kentucky. 

 

Despite all that has been said by myself and others supporting the Newport location, I still believe West End makes the most sense. Hopefully this is all just people playing 'hardball' and pretending to walk away from a deal in order to get what they want.

 

It's never great to see the sausage being made, and regardless of site I can't wait until this is all final because part of me is bracing for the disappointment of Sacramento or Detroit getting the MLS bid because we couldn't make it work.

FWIW:  https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/03/21/fc-cincinnati-s-berding-if-west-end-deal-improves.html

I'm guessing this purchase was for the stadium. I know the auditor is usually a few days to weeks behind, so wonder when it actually closed

 

http://wedge.hcauditor.org/view/re/0810002008400/2017/summary

I'm guessing this purchase was for the stadium. I know the auditor is usually a few days to weeks behind, so wonder when it actually closed

 

http://wedge.hcauditor.org/view/re/0810002008400/2017/summary

 

Central OTR LLC purchased this land for $620,000 in 2015. Just sold to West End Ventures in 2018 for $1.675 million.

 

This is a 30,000 sq foot parcel, so they paid over $50/sq foot for it.  That's similar to the price the vacant lots are getting in OTR. 

 

West End Ventures must have big plans for this parcel.  What could it be?

 

 

Mike Moroski of the cps board adding some updates,

 

“To be clear (since ppl keep throwing around hard numbers): CPS will enter into a land exchange if FCC agrees (can have 3rd party support too, like city) to pay 25% of the property taxes owed on whatever their final build-out is worth acc. 2 Auditor. That cld be less than $2mill.”

 

Regarding rumor about 3rd party beinng at the Tabel already:

 

“Nothing solid. I imagine Berding, Lindner, et. al., cld find an interested 3rd party. Why we added it today - help give leverage - try & get to win/win. And, while it appears the city cannot agree on anything right now, they wld be the 3rd party in a normal abatement situation.”

 

Finally about city of Cincinnati involvement;

 

“Yes, they would. They’ve already put forward the CBA (from where we took our lead), so it’s clear they are at the table. And they were ready for Oakley. So. . .not outta the realm of possibility.”

Cincinnati school board makes key changes, passes its FC Cincinnati stadium proposal

 

The Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education made key changes to its proposal regarding a potential FC Cincinnati stadium in the West End on Wednesday, clarifying its expectations on taxes.

 

The board’s original resolution, unveiled Friday, said that it expected FC Cincinnati to pay $2 million per year in payments in lieu of property taxes if it builds a new Major League Soccer stadium in the West End but it could backload those costs in later years to weather what the club projects will be unprofitable years.

 

On Wednesday, the board unanimously approved a resolution that says the team must foot the so-called PILOT payments but took no position on what that amount would be or on what the stadium’s property value or construction costs would be. The resolution said that the $2 million amount on a $250 million stadium was merely an example. The resolution also said that the PILOT could be paid for by an entity other than FC Cincinnati with the example it cited being the city of Cincinnati.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/03/21/cincinnati-school-board-makes-key-changes-passes.html

“West End Ventures, LLC” registered to 123 Sesame St.

^hahah.. That "123 Sesame St" address isn't showing up for me on Google maps :)

 

Here's the full articles of incorporation, showing agent Steve Young and mailing address is 3958 Brown Park Drive, Hilliard, OH 43206 (suburb of Columbus)

http://www2.sos.state.oh.us/reports/rwservlet?imgc12g&Din=201805801202

^ confirms that the Crew are moving to the West End.

How large is 30k square ft? Is that a large parcel?

How large is 30k square ft? Is that a large parcel?

 

On the auditor's site the parcel measures 198x156 feet.  When you see how much they're paying for this Central Parkway frontage you understand why they're going after the "free" public land swap for the majority of the needed land. 

 

If they paid outright for Stargel what they just paid for the Central Parkway land, they'd be paying between $10-15 million.  Billionaires get lots of free stuff and then pay less tax on it than you or I. 

 

I'm guessing this purchase was for the stadium. I know the auditor is usually a few days to weeks behind, so wonder when it actually closed

 

http://wedge.hcauditor.org/view/re/0810002008400/2017/summary

 

Not saying it’s not FC related, but wasn’t there a recent article about this building being a new headquarters for Lisnr?

So the auditor page says this purchase was closed on 3/19/2018. Which makes it this Monday. Yet fcc said they were done with west end this past Friday. I’m so confused why they would be purchasing land, unless this is political posturing at its finest, and the plan was west end regardless.

The other thing that irritates me about these idiot "community activists" are that they look at gentrification as a horrible thing. You cant have it both ways. If you want a grocery store and drug store, you need to actually have economic development that will allow for this. People like Josh Spring have the idea that the people can band together to influence the leaders to stop something. While that is true to an extent, and they can certain gum things up for a while, these tactics do not work when you are trying to get something, especially something that relies on private enterprise. Community leaders cant force Walgreens or Kroger to go to the neighborhood with those tactics. They may be able to band together to keep them out, but such behavior does not look good to encourage economic development. Why would they take a chance on a neighborhood that feels entitled to their businesses.

 

Josh Spring strikes again!

 

 

Coalition against the FC Cincinnati stadium paid for 102 West End Council memberships ahead of vote

 

On Tuesday, West End residents took a vote on whether they supported or opposed the construction of a soccer stadium in their neighborhood.

 

The Coalition Against an FC Stadium Cincinnati Stadium in the West End gave the community council a list of 102 names and $714 before the meeting. The coalition believes the stadium could displace residents, drive up housing costs and otherwise harm the neighborhood.

 

In order to vote at community council meetings, a person must be a member, which requires living in the West End and a $7 annual dues payment.

 

Josh Spring, Executive Director of the Homeless Coalition and a member of The Coalition Against an FC Stadium Cincinnati Stadium in the West End, confirmed what happened. Spring was at the vote Tuesday. Spring is not a resident of West End or a member of the community council.

 

On Tuesday, 192 people were eligible to vote, meaning the list provided by Spring's coalition against the stadium made up more than 50 percent of the membership.

I'm guessing this purchase was for the stadium. I know the auditor is usually a few days to weeks behind, so wonder when it actually closed

 

http://wedge.hcauditor.org/view/re/0810002008400/2017/summary

 

Not saying it’s not FC related, but wasn’t there a recent article about this building being a new headquarters for Lisnr?

 

Yeah, your right. Lisnr was awarded tax credits for 1523 Central Parkway last winter.

 

Though Lisnr new HQ building was part of FCC original West End site plan...not sure what's going on tbh.

 

 

I guess it's also worth noting that the listed address is 407 vine st is a ups store, and that kmk law firm is next door to 407 (fcc lawyers).

It appears that Mayor Cranley was the one who helped broker the deal of a 3rd party, that being the city. Also seems like if WE is out, then it will be Newport.

 

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics-extra/2018/03/22/px-column-john-cranley-tries-keep-fc-cincinnati-stadium-hopes-alive-amid-city-hall-chaos/446262002/

As is to be expected, that Jason Williams column is oozing with lust for John Cranley.

 

"But the Progressive 5 seems it couldn't care less if the city loses the stadium deal to Newport. These Council members appear more interested in prolonging a petty political fight with a mayor who's term-limited in 3½ years rather than supporting a stadium project that will impact the city for generations."

 

Williams is blaming the potential "loss" of this stadium to Newport on that fact that Council doesn't want to rubber-stamp the $400k+ severance package that Cranley wants for City Manager Harry Black, when Cranley hasn't even revealed the real reason why he wants Black fired, and the only reason we're having such a rushed debate about this stadium is because Cranley kept everything behind closed doors until after the election. There must be some amazing mental gymnastics going on inside Williams' head to make Cranley out to be the hero in this scenario.

Well it sounds like cranley was the one who reached out to cps and fcc and included the piece about 3rd party help from the city.

 

Kudos to cranley, because otherwise the west end seemed dead and gone this past weekend.

Well it sounds like cranley was the one who reached out to cps and fcc and included the piece about 3rd party help from the city.

 

Kudos to cranley, because otherwise the west end seemed dead and gone this past weekend.

 

No, it was likely FC that suggested it.  The stadium is going to be built in the west end.  They have already purchased land. 

 

I made the mistake of listening to 700WLW on my lunch break.  Cunningham was busy extolling Cranley (from a great family!) and Smitherman (who should be a great mayor, sez Cunningham, who banned Smitherman from his show in the mid-2000s) while placing the blame for the stadium being lost to Newport on PG Sittenfeld.  Remember, Cunningham golfs with the car dealers, gets free cars from them, and they all paid to make sure their guy the rich kid John Cranley got reelected.  And they dearly want Smitherman in there because they're a afraid of a repeat of the Mallory coup back in 2005. 

 

Meanwhile, it seems to me that FC loves this controversy -- tons of free advertising for the team.  It's making the soccer team a mainstream thing. 

 

 

 

FWIW Seelbach, Young and Landsman are looking more and more like obstructionists who don't understand how to do business.

Council has not yet had an opportunity to weigh in on anything related to the West End stadium plan. It’s only been in CPS’s hands so far...

more and more like obstructionists who don't understand how to do business.

 

Government isn't a business.  Schools aren't a business (well, charter schools are).  Poor Cranley dug himself a hole and now he's going to have to give to get himself out. 

 

You can't treat people like crap for 20 years and then not expect the enemies you've made along the way to take advantage of your screw-up.  And, incidentally, Cranley proved himself to be a crappy developer when his City Lights project tanked up in Price Hill. 

Is it possible for 3CDC to be potential 3rd party partner in all of this? I'm not actually what there incentive would be to do so though...

 

Regardless, if a 3rd party partner is truly possible between FCC and City of Cincinnati, then I imagine this will have to be brought up to vote sometime early next week, because time is running out (3/31 deadline fcc has set by MLS).

more and more like obstructionists who don't understand how to do business.

 

Government isn't a business.  Schools aren't a business (well, charter schools are).  Poor Cranley dug himself a hole and now he's going to have to give to get himself out. 

 

You can't treat people like crap for 20 years and then not expect the enemies you've made along the way to take advantage of your screw-up.  And, incidentally, Cranley proved himself to be a crappy developer when his City Lights project tanked up in Price Hill. 

 

Economic Development is. Local government needs to promote it to promote growth for the region. Trying to placate everyone and allow people like Josh Spring to have his voice heard is counterproductive and it gives the city a reputation that it is not a good place to do business. 

 

Seelbach and Young are both horrible because they take their position solely on making Cranley look bad, not out of any principles they hold themselves. If the mayor is for that, then they are against it. That may be fine for Washington but it is pathetic for a local official who wants to better the region to hold themselves out like that. It just shows that they are solely in it for themselves.

 

Landsman is a clown who seems to come off as a neophyte and just gets in the way. He tries to be conciliatory by making sure everyone is heard but offers no real constructive voice to the matter. While the soft and gentle approach may make people feel good in the short term, it is destructive and unhelpful in the long term.

 

Dennard and Sittenfield seem to be casting themselves as the anti-Cranley too so that he can run for mayor as a progressive. It is a shame because a few years ago PG would have been championing this deal and all about it. Again, acting more in self interest than in the best interests of the city. Pathetic.

When has city hall had a voice in the stadium situation? I don't understand where your criticism is coming from. Jason Williams is intentionally confusing the FCC stadium with the Harry Black issue and people are apparently falling for it.

 

The city can't stop the West End Community Council from giving people a voice if they vote according to the by laws of the CC.

 

I think Wendell Young made a big mistake by coming out against a West End stadium before any details were made public. But council hasn't prevented a stadium from going in anywhere. Can you point to council trying to sabotage the stadium deal?

 

Also, that praising of Newport on the Levee is hilarious. I would rather have The Banks than Newport on the Levee. I would rather have the Moerlein Lager House than the Hofbrauhaus. I would rather have the Reds than the movie theater. I would rather have apartments, hotels, and office than a shopping mall. I would rather have the Freedom Center than the Aquarium. The idea that NotL is better than the Banks is laughable. But that's not really on topic I guess.

It is not just the stadium thing. I think the Black matter has a lot to do with it too. It just seems like Seelbach, Young, Sittenfeld, Denard and Landsman stand against anything the mayor wants just for the sake that Cranley is for it. It is embarrassing that a local official would want to play petty games like this.

 

The Oakley stadium in November we had Sittenfeld, Young and Seelbach against it solely because Cranley wanted it. Same with the Harry Black thing (Remember Seelbach and Young wanted Black fired a few years back, but now when they can obstruct the deal they do).

 

So while the council does not have a say yet, they will have a say, and you better believe they are staking their positions behind the scene using friends on the school board or Community Council as their proxies to give them cover when they obstruct the mayor on this. It is less about FC Cincinnati but more about seeing Cranley fail.