Hundreds of people turned out in the West End to help break ground on FC Cincinnati's new stadium in the West End.

There was pomp.

There were speeches.

There were miniature shovels for anyone who wanted to turn a piece of dirt themselves.

But there were also questions. And behind the scenes, lingering tensions.

Will FC Cincinnati secure all the land it needs? It hasn't yet.

Where will fans park once the stadium is built? Where should Hamilton County build a promised garage?

Should the team pay the full $1.6 million appraised value for city-owned land it wants?

FC Cincinnati team officials say city and county leaders aren't keeping promises made to the team, while city and county officials say they are just looking out for taxpayers' best interests.

With so much unresolved, Cincinnati's planning commission hasn't yet signed off on the stadium. Make no mistake though, these matters must be settled before March 1, when the stadium's foundation is set to be poured.

Any delay beyond that and there's a risk that the stadium won't be done in time for the 2021 soccer season, when the team's lease on Nippert Stadium runs out.

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber said FC Cincinnati's stadium project is one of the quickest and most streamlined he's seen come to fruition. But, he added, building stadiums is difficult and parking is an important piece.

"I mean, it’s not just going to be for the stadium but for this growing community," Garber told The Enquirer. "We have a number of projects where parking is really hard and you have a beautiful stadium and people can’t get there. That’s a problem. It takes away from the excitement that everybody has after the bloom falls off the rose of being new."

Speeches from FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding and Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus on the surface were positive.

Berding thanked city leaders for the land and county leaders for a garage, specifically referencing 1,000 spaces. For her part, Driehaus said she was "delighted" the county would "partners" in the investment.

But the buoyant speeches masked problems in the background.

Berding thanked city leaders for the land and county leaders for the garage, specifically referencing the 1,000 space - which

What still needs to be worked out:

Land acquisition

FC Cincinnati still needs two important pieces of land for the project, both belonging to the city right now. The team needs part of the parking lot attached to Cincinnati Police District One on Ezzard Charles Drive and the rights to a portion Central Avenue.

The question is, should FC Cincinnati buy the city land, which is appraised at $1.6 million and build new parking for the police department, at a cost of $850,000? Or just pay just for the new parking?

Both deals would include the rights to Central Avenue.

"The city appraisal ... is higher than FCC wants to pay," said Councilman David Mann, chairman of council's Budget and Finance Committee. "That’s what the conversation is about. I have not understood why we are expected to add to the subsidy we already gave the team."

Some council members want to see the team pay the full, appraised value, others say a compromise where the team invests in other parking is enough.

There is roughly an $800,000 gap in what the plans call for the team to pay.

"This needs to be discussed publicly," Mann said. "I think the point is, are we going to increase the subsidy of FCC or not? Typically we rely on our own appraisal. If we’re going to transfer property for less than value, we have to determine it’s for the public good. It seems to me we made a decision and we should stick by it."

Council has approved $32.9 million for infrastructure needs.

FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding said he's hopeful a deal can be worked out, "unleashing hundreds of millions of dollars from our ownership group that will benefit the entire region."

FC Cincinnati is privately funding the stadium itself, at a cost of $250 million. But the team asked for infrastructure help from the city and county. City officials promised $32.9 million in help and the county parking garage was thought to cost at least $15 million.

Compare that to Columbus, where city, county and state leaders are working to keep the Columbus Crew Major League Soccer team with a new stadium. There the city and county have each promised $50 million for the project, with another $15 million from state taxpayers.

Parkingwoes

Under city code, the stadium must have 5,300 spaces. And plans do show more spaces than that. But parking won't be as easy as it is now, with parking garages within easy walking distance to Nippert stadium.

Many of the proposed spaces for the new stadium are throughout downtown, with shuttles delivering fans to the stadium.

Hamilton County commissioners promised to build a 1,000-space garage near the stadium in three separate votes. But they're backing off the idea, saying they only agreed if it would spur development and it would be economically feasible, something they don't yet know.

FC Cincinnati counters that the agreement is binding because the only contingency is that FC Cincinnati be awarded an MLS team, which has happened.

There has been some discussion of a garage half that size, but there is no final deal and there's not even a promise that a smaller one would be built in time for the stadium's opening.

That has Berding worried, but arts leaders are concerned too. Where, they wonder, will people park on game days if they're going to Music Hall, Memorial Hall or the Shakespeare Company.

Plus, FC Cincinnati hasn't worked out where Cincinnati Ballet patrons will park. The ballet sits on land the team acquired to build the stadium, and while the ballet can stay, stadium plans show the parking lot would be demolished for the stadium itself.

More:FC Cincinnati stadium groundbreaking: What you need to know

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More:Hamilton County scaling back FC Cincinnati parking; may build garage near Findlay Market

City permits

Groundbreaking isn't really building so planning commission approval can wait, though not for long.

Right now the project is in demolition stages, and those permits have been secured. Actual foundation construction starts in March, so that becomes the actual deadline for plan approval.

The stadium footprint runs from Ezzard Charles Drive, north to Liberty Street, west to John Street and east to Central Parkway. Stargel Stadium, which sits there now, is moving across the street.



