Lawmakers ax money proposed for film campus, Wasson Way in list to GOP leaders

COLUMBUS - Lawmakers from the Cincinnati area don't want state money to help pay for a nearly $9.2 million film campus in Queensgate.

Film Cincinnati initially requested $2 million in state money for the project, a proposed 78,000 square foot film campus that would be home to a soundstage, studio, and production facility.

Business leaders narrowed that request to $1 million, but GOP lawmakers from Cincinnati cut the money altogether in their list of 29 projects submitted to Republican legislative leaders last week.

The list, obtained by The Enquirer through a records request, totaled $20.2 million and cut $1.76 million from the wish list compiled by the Cincinnati Business Committee, which coordinated with the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

"We think their request of $22 million was too high," said Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Green Township. "We are not likely to get that kind of money."

Lawmakers also eliminated $1 million for the Wasson Way bike trail and $100,000 for Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

Cincinnati's delegation was told to keep their final ask under $20 million. Lawmakers hit that mark by eliminating those three projects and redirecting $236,000 in unused money appropriated to Ballet Tech and the Madisonville Art Center in previous years, said Rep. Tom Brinkman, R-Mount Lookout.

Brinkman, Seitz, Sen. Lou Terhar, Sen. Steve Wilson and Rep. Bill Blessing all signed off on the $20.2 million ask, which included $4 million to the city of Cincinnati for infrastructure for a FC Cincinnati stadium. The wish list was sent to GOP legislative leaders, who will help compile a bill of statewide requests.

Madeira's Rep. Jonathan Dever opposed spending $4 million for FC Cincinnati but supported the rest of the list, according to the letter to legislative leaders.

Still, Brinkman said the $4 million ask is still less than the $10 million that FC Cincinnati's leaders initially requested. Lawmakers wanted to support a local project while not devoting half their allotted money on one item.

"The Lindner family has given so much to this community," Brinkman said. "You would be hard-pressed to find a thing that they have been involved in that has been a failure or has been a burden on the citizens."

If Major League Soccer does not select FC Cincinnati as part of its expansion, the $4 million for infrastructure would be redistributed toward other projects. No new items would be added.