Pro-stadium Jeff Pastor is a 'no' vote on FC Cincinnati plan without written West End deal

Councilman Jeff Pastor grew up in the West End and has supported putting an FC Cincinnati stadium there. But Pastor said Tuesday he will not vote for any stadium deal without a community benefits agreement in writing.

Pastor could be a crucial vote for the success of the proposal.

Five votes are needed from the nine-member City Council for passage of a stadium development deal. Three council members have said they favor the plan; four appear to be opposed. Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman declined comment Wednesday on whether he supported the stadium deal as it stands now.

Action by Council is the last local approval needed for FC Cincinnati after the city school board Tuesday night approved a land swap with the soccer club. The swap is contingent on the team landing a Major League Soccer franchise.

After his colleagues David Mann and P.G. Sittenfeld released a proposed development package, Pastor on Friday rallied behind the stadium.

"I know how transformational and positive it will be to the West End for FC Cincinnati to be there. FC Cincinnati and its owners care about Cincinnati," Pastor said that day. "They want our city to win. I want the West End, Cincinnati, and our children to win with those on the field. Let’s seize the day."

But his attitude toward the deal has changed. His hesitation surrounds the community benefits agreement (CBA), a contract between the team and West End community groups that will cover everything from lighting and noise to money for sports programs.

More: FC Cincinnati land swap OK'd by Cincinnati's school board amid shouts of opposition

More: What's happening this week on FC Cincinnati's plan for West End stadium

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"Before I'm comfortable moving forward, a community benefits agreement must be in writing," Pastor wrote to The Enquirer Tuesday.

He asked that Mayor John Cranley, council members and the law department also have ample time to review the document before voting.

Does the plan have enough votes in City Council?

Pastor could be a crucial vote for the success of the development agreement. Five votes are needed from the nine-member City Council for passage.

Three council members have voiced their support for the deal. P.G. Sittenfeld and David Mann crafted the proposal. Amy Murray told The Enquirer Tuesday she will vote for it.

Murray believes a benefits package will help ease concerns in the community. When asked why West End residents don't want a stadium, Murray was skeptical of the opposition.

"I’ve worried all along that there are still some players out there who aren’t from the West End who are speaking for them,” she said.

Four council members have indicated they oppose or question the proposal.

Last week, Chris Seelbach told The Enquirer he opposed a stadium in West End.

Tamaya Dennard said she doesn't support city-financed developments that rely on trickle-down benefits to residents. Her priority in this situation is the residents of West End.

"When we look at the disparities in our city of race and class, we have to remember that it’s decisions like these that create and perpetuate inequity," Dennard wrote on Facebook.

Wendell Young said he doesn't understand why the West End stadium is so important when so many people don't want it.

"It’s a real slap in the face to the people that live there," he told The Enquirer Tuesday. “This is a neighborhood which has suffered an inordinate amount.”

Greg Landsman said his focus is on the residents and business owners in West End.

"I'm all for FC and becoming an international soccer city," Landsman said. "But I don't support sticking taxpayers with an enormous bill or forcing a stadium on a community that said no."