By Sharon Coolidge, scoolidge@enquirer.com

A sweeping $16.5 million deal between Hamilton County commissioners and the Cincinnati Bengals will pave the way for the next phase of development at The Banks - and upgrade Paul Brown Stadium.

It comes as county leaders hope to lure up to 2,000 General Electric jobs to the riverfront development. It also marks what one commissioner called a "new era" between the the team and county -- which owns Paul Brown Stadium -- after decades of lawsuits and vitriol.

"This sets the stage for one of the most exciting times on the riverbanks since the Big Red Machine played down there," said Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Hartmann. "Our proposal includes support from the Reds, the Bengals, the county, the city and the (Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority). This is an economic home run, or more appropriate to the situation -- a touchdown."

For the Bengals, the deal means the chance to play games abroad, a Wi-Fi-equipped stadium and a new high-definition scoreboard.

For the county, the deal means height restrictions that held up Banks construction are now waived, and the team chips in to what - under the lease - could have been projects entirely paid for by taxpayers.

The deal was hammered out in secret over the past few weeks, with negotiations ramping up this week as commissioners prioritized a riverfront deal to land GE, which has announced it will bring up to 2,000 jobs to Greater Cincinnati. The company is also considering Mason and Oakley. Bids are due to GE Friday.

Construction of nearly 300 apartments on The Banks will start by the end of April, said Tom Gabelman, the county's attorney for The Banks project. The 12-14 story office building planned for GE won't get built unless GE agrees to be the tenant.

Hamilton County Commissioners Republican Greg Hartmann and Democrat Todd Portune on Thursday voted in favor of the deal, with Republican Chris Monzel abstaining because he works at GE Aviation.

Hamilton County owns Paul Brown Stadium, which along with Great American Ball Park was built with a half cent sales tax. The county and the city jointly oversee The Banks.

Portune, who has long attacked the Bengals as taking advantage of taxpayers with an unfair lease, said it was time to put differences aside.

"Everyone approached this with a spirit of 'how can we make this happen,' " Portune said.

The Cincinnati Bengals waived height restrictions -- put in place years ago to protect river views and protect Cincinnati's skyline -- at The Banks. In exchange, the county and the Bengals negotiated six stadium upgrades -- some of which The Bengals themselves will pay for despite their lease requiring taxpayers to foot the bill.

"We wanted to demonstrate our interest in working together to ensure that The Banks is a viable location for this project," said Bengals President Mike Brown. "We all know that the Cincinnati area is a great place to live and work. Landing this project will let the nation know it as well."



The agreement includes:

A new scoreboard: It's expected to cost $10 million, of which the Bengals will pay $2.5 million. If the price jumps to $12 million, the team will pay 25 percent of the additional $2 million. But the deal caps any spending at $12 million. If it's any more than that, the deal is nixed.

It's expected to cost $10 million, of which the Bengals will pay $2.5 million. If the price jumps to $12 million, the team will pay 25 percent of the additional $2 million. But the deal caps any spending at $12 million. If it's any more than that, the deal is nixed. A new locker room: The county is allowing the team to expand its locker room into a space that had been set aside in case a professional soccer team came to Cincinnati. If soccer should come, the team will give up space elsewhere comparable to the expansion. The Bengals will pay for the expansion.

The county is allowing the team to expand its locker room into a space that had been set aside in case a professional soccer team came to Cincinnati. If soccer should come, the team will give up space elsewhere comparable to the expansion. The Bengals will pay for the expansion. Wi-Fi: The stadium will be outfitted with Wi-Fi, as required by the NFL. Taxpayers will pay $3 million of the $3.5 million project, although the Bengals are paying the entire cost up front and then will be reimbursed by the county over five years.

The stadium will be outfitted with Wi-Fi, as required by the NFL. Taxpayers will pay $3 million of the $3.5 million project, although the Bengals are paying the entire cost up front and then will be reimbursed by the county over five years. Permission to play international games: The county is allowing the team to play two international games as the "home" team. The lease calls for the county to profit from tickets and parking during all home games, which won't be possible if the Bengals play outside the county. The team can play those games during any five consecutive one-year periods.

The county is allowing the team to play two international games as the "home" team. The lease calls for the county to profit from tickets and parking during all home games, which won't be possible if the Bengals play outside the county. The team can play those games during any five consecutive one-year periods. Parking: The Bengals will get back more than 100 spots the team lost when Cincinnati Parks began using the area as they built the new riverfront park. The land will eventually be a park, but for the 2014 season some of it will revert back to high-priced spots for tailgating.

The Bengals will get back more than 100 spots the team lost when Cincinnati Parks began using the area as they built the new riverfront park. The land will eventually be a park, but for the 2014 season some of it will revert back to high-priced spots for tailgating. A Club Lounge refurbish: The club lounges, which can be rented for events and have riverfront views, are getting $1 million in new furniture, which the Bengals will buy. The current furniture is original to the stadium, which opened in 2000.

The deal is worth $16.5 million, with the Bengals paying $6 million -- or 36 percent of it. Of that $6 million, $4 million goes toward projects their lease requires the county to pay for.

"In addition to working through several subjects relating to riverfront development guidelines, the county and club were able to address several issues that both parties have been working on for quite a while -- issues that will improve the Paul Brown Stadium experience for the hundreds of thousands of people who attend events there every year," Brown said.

The changes required amendments to the original lease agreement forged in 1997, which officials said would bring the stadium into the 21st century and allow it to host more outdoor events.



In addition to the stadium fixes, as part of the deal, the county and city are adding Bengals Executive Vice President Katie Blackburn to the Banks Steering Committee, which will increase from seven to eight members. County commissioners voted Thursday in support of the move and Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley pledged action soon.

"I am looking forward to getting more involved as the development of The Banks continues," said Blackburn, a daughter of team president and owner Mike Brown. "The riverfront has been our home since 1970. It is now an exciting place to live, work and have fun. There is a lot of work ahead to make sure that the promise of The Banks is fulfilled."



Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini, who heads the Joint Banks Steering Committee, also praised the direction of The Banks development.

"As The Banks development moves west and closer to Paul Brown Stadium, we feel it is imperative to have a member of the Bengals leadership team working side-by-side with us to ensure the development continues on a successful path," Castellini said.

Gabelman said the 300 apartments at Current @ The Banks are fully leased and about 92 percent of the retail space is leased.

The new apartments, called Phase IIA for now, would be built on a site west of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center at Second and Rosa Parks streets. Carter Dawson, developer of The Banks, plans to build 291 apartments and add 20,000 square feet of retail space to the area, said Scott Stringer, Carter executive vice president.

The previous agreement with the Bengals only allowed buildings on that plot to reach about 100 feet high.

The development could be completed in February 2016 and add about 500 new residents to The Banks, Gabelman said.

To lure GE to The Banks as its signature office tenant, officials are eyeing the development of a 12-14 story building that could feature ground-floor retail space. Gabelman said there are a couple sites at The Banks that could house the GE office building.

The Banks is competing against sites in Oakley and Mason to land a shared services hub, which would be one of five worldwide. GE uses shared services sites so business functions such as finance and information technology can be standardized and managed in one place.

GE plans to break ground at a site this summer and expects the facility to be fully operational by 2017.

"We think it's the best," Gabelman said. "Hopefully that will show when GE sees what the city and county have to offer."

Staff writer Bowdeya Tweh contributed to this report.