CINCINNATI -- FC Cincinnati has reached an "good neighbor agreement" with Cincinnati Music Hall, President and General Manager Jeff Berding said Wednesday.
The team will present its application for the Final Development Plan to various community groups for feedback on the stadium’s development, “including but not limited to stadium design, construction schedule, impacts of light and noise on the surrounding neighborhoods, and cooperation on traffic, security and parking issues,” Berding said in a letter to Mayor John Cranley and city council members.
Pleased to announce we have reached agreement with Cincinnati Arts Association, CSO, Opera & other Arts organizations for Music Hall. Carl H. Lindner III has signed, and we expect to have a fully executed agreement by 1:00 pm today.
— Jeff Berding (@JeffBerding) February 13, 2019
The announcement comes after a preliminary report, released earlier this month, found the anticipated level of game-day noise would overpower the carefully-calibrated acoustics of the hall’s main auditorium.
Music Hall officials will seek to minimize days where events coincide with FC Cincinnati games, according to a statement released by the Cincinnati Arts Association, Music Hall Resident Performing Arts Organizations and the Music Hall Revitalization Company.
Officials will also work to minimize “the stadium’s noise impact on Music Hall through stadium design and other sound mitigation measures at Music Hall.”
The team will also make a “substantial amount of parking” available in the Town Center Garage to people attending performances at Music Hall when games occur on the same day.
The team’s agreement with Music Hall is one of three important commitments FC Cincinnati made at Tuesday’s Budget and Finance Committee meeting, Berding said in the letter.
In addition to the agreement, FC Cincinnati will submit its application for final plans in late March. The team will present its draft application to the West End Design Committee, the West End Community Coalition, the West End Community Council and Over-the-Rhine Community Council before formally submitting to the City Planning department.
FC Cincinnati is committed to honoring Cincinnati Ballet’s lease at its facility north of Wade Street, Berding said in the letter. If the Ballet wants to relocate before its lease is up, the team will work with them to agree on those financial terms, “including possible financial support from FC Cincinnati.”
The team has presented a “good neighbor agreement” to the Cincinnati Ballet similar to what they’ve reached with Cincinnati Music Hall in “addressing noise and parking issues.” The letter did not specify what either of those agreements were.
The team will also enter a parking agreement with the Greater Cincinnati Educational Television Foundation so its employees can park in the Town Center Garage during FCC games. The team will also allow parking for employees of WVXU, a tenant in the CET building.
WCPO will update this story.
