( Cincinnati ) - A deal has been reached.
After nearly nine hours of deliberations, the West End Community Council and FC Cincinnati have signed a community benefits agreement. This is a move that gets FC Cincinnati closer to building a stadium if they get a bid to become a professional soccer team with Major League Soccer.
Jeff Berding, FCC’s general manager and president, said this deal provides a partnership and foundation between the West End and the soccer. FC Cincinnati and the West End Community Council have been at odds for months over the soccer team’s proposed stadium deal.
Just minutes later, Cincinnati City Council's Budget & Finance Committee passed the agreement
And not long after that, the same issue was easily passed by the full Cincinnati City Council.
Despite producing renderings of the proposed stadium and the months of turmoil, the building of the stadium is still contingent on MLS offering the team a bid. FC Cincinnati leaders are hoping to meet with MLS representatives this summer. The last time 700WLW asked an FC Cincinnati spokesperson for a timeline on that, she told us right now both camps are checking their schedules.