FC Cincinnati unveils stadium design, emphasizes Newport at OTR event

For a few fleeting moments, Futbol Club Cincinnati and its supporters unburdened themselves from the hurdles that await on the road to Major League Soccer.

They stood in Over-the-Rhine's Woodward Theater before a miniature model of their would-be future futbol home and allowed themselves to dream an MLS future, and of the life beyond those hurdles.

FC Cincinnati and renowned stadium architect Dan Meis of MEIS Architects unveiled Monday at the theater a stadium design that supporters hope will inform the construction of the club's eventual long-term home.

The proposed $200 million stadium, which currently only exists in renderings and a scaled-down model that travels bubble-wrapped in a wooden carrying case, is an enclosed, horseshoe-shaped, 25,000-seat concept.

The venue would be expandable up to 30,000 seats with berm seating in the open end of the enclosed horseshoe.

The design pays homage to the iconic Allianz Arena, home to German Bundesliga soccer powerhouse Bayern Munich, and features a canopy and out-facing facade that can be illuminated with LED lights reflected off translucent material.

Meis, whose design emphasized steep, terraced seating that encroaches on the playing surface to create a "home-pitch advantage," participated in peeling back a blue sheet to reveal for the first time the miniature stadium model. Projections of the renderings were beamed onto a white screen behind the theater stage.

The moment amounted to a milestone for the organization, as evidenced by the presence of most front office staffers, members of the ownership group, and consultant and former MLS executive Mark McCullers.

FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding said he hoped to break ground on the stadium by early spring 2018 and have the venue ready for 2020, when that round of expansion teams come online.

MLS is expected to award two of the four expansion slots by the end of this year. Berding's plan would require FC Cincinnati to be one of them.

"Ideally, we'd have all of this wrapped up by the end of summer," Berding said. "We'd be in consultation with MLS in the fall."

Stadiums represent the largest piece of infrastructure required of the 12 organizations vying for four MLS expansion bids. It's widely believed some of the expansion race will be decided by which teams can produce on the stadium aspect of their respective bids.

The uninhibited stadium daydreaming at the OTR event was eventually tempered. The audience question-and-answer portion of the event brought back into focus the very real hurdles FC Cincinnati will face in its stadium endeavor.

Fans pressed on the financing aspect of the stadium plan. In response, team ownership spoke with determination on the possibility of a public-private partnership to get the stadium done.

Berding reiterated FC Cincinnati ownership's commitment to a $250 million "legacy investment to change the course of our city."

The MLS expansion fee would eat up $150 million of the $250 million investment.

Berding conceded what many long ago accepted: That a community conversation will soon spark up and "at a certain point, elected officials are going to decide."

Berding also used the event as a rallying cry. He encouraged those in attendance to reach out to their local elected officials in support of the stadium project.

"We'll work hard with the Hamilton County Commissioners, the mayor, all the other elected officials to develop a viable financing plan that begins with a quarter-of-a-billion dollars in private investment," principal FC Cincinnati owner Carl Lindner III said. "We're looking to develop an appropriate public-private partnership that's possible without new taxes or increases on our people. Public-private partnerships are what has allowed Greater Cincinnati to punch so far above its weight class with seven Fortune 500 companies, world-class hospitals and universities, arts institutions, parks, a human-services system led by the United Way that's one of the most generous in the nation. All of that's not possible without public-private partnership – that's what all of us need to realize."

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How it would look in Newport (again, all hypothetical). @ENQSports pic.twitter.com/biW4sKMiA0 — Pat Brennan (@PBrennanENQ) June 12, 2017

Berding, Lindner and Meis were also pressed by fans on the issue of where the stadium would be built.

The three possible sites were all discussed at the Monday event, but the conversation veered toward Newport at several notable junctures in what appeared to be a concerted effort to pitch supporters on the Northern Kentucky city.

Some in the Woodward Theater crowd booed at the first mention of building on the Newport site long-planned for the Ovation mixed-use development near the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers.

Berding then stepped in to sell the push for MLS as a regional effort.

"I want to stress this again: The whole thing is to win the bid, right?" Berding said. "Win the bid. Win the bid. So, our whole focus has been to try to find a way – and you've seen some public discussion about this – try to find a way to build the stadium in Cincinnati. That has been our goal, right? However, I want to stress the sites we're looking at are owned by multiple people, and we may or may not be able to pull it off. So, it is great to have the opportunity to develop a stadium in Newport.

"We want to win, so I would just ask you to be inspired, I hope, by the stadium... and be a part of working with us to figure out a way to get it done."

Even after Berding drove home his point about winning the MLS bid as a unified region, Newport took center stage multiple times throughout the duration of the presentation.

Meis spoke about Newport's proximity to the Ohio side of the river and pedestrian access to Northern Kentucky over the bridge.

"I don't want to wade into the site discussion too far, but I was excited about this site" in Newport, Meis said. "Plus, you have this big front door. You really do connect right to the city with it. You're looking back on the skyline... It's really a spectacular view."

The event was equal parts celebratory and contemplative. Fans likely came to be awed by the stadium design, and plenty were.

They also came in search of real answers, several in attendance told The Enquirer.

Berding said the public conversation was now underway, although Monday's event was only open to FC Cincinnati season ticket holders and not the general public.

The night ended on a high and with supporters thanking Lindner for his efforts with FC Cincinnati.

Lindner, in turn, thanked the fans and exited the stage to some of the loudest cheers of the night.

"My family has always focused on new companies, new jobs in Cincinnati. That's our hometown, and we've done it without incentives or abatements," Lindner said in his closing remarks. "But given the magnitude of the investment that's required here, we're exploring opportunities and we'll keep the public fully informed as our feasibility studies and plans become more developed.

"Thank you for being such tremendous fans. For helping us create from scratch the hottest franchise in the U.S."

BUT WHAT OF NIPPERT STADIUM?

As part of FC Cincinnati's deal to reconfigure this past winter the lower bowl of the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium, the club's current home, the club would be responsible for restoring Nippert to its original configuration if it exited the venue and its agreement with the school.

At least that was the working understanding around the time construction began on Nippert back in November.

UC Athletic Director Mike Bohn seemed to suggest in a November interview with The Enquirer the new configuration could be advantageous for Bearcats football.

The expanded space in the south end zone will provide safer playing conditions for athletes, Bohn said at the time. Risers, on-field suites and other options are being considered for the increase in space.

MORE: Details on FC Cincy's changes to Nippert Stadium

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Berding suggested FC Cincinnati wouldn't end its relationship with UC if it moved to its own purpose-built facility. Matches that demanded 35,000 seats or more could be held at Nippert, Berding said.

Asked by an audience member about the future of FC Cincinnati if its MLS bid fails, Berding said the team would endeavor to continue playing and growing at Nippert.

FC Cincinnati is in its second year at UC's historic football venue. The club is still in the initial three-year term of a deal with UC to play at Nippert for up to 15 years.