Hamilton County Commissioners have instructed the administrator to negotiate a deal with the Cincinnati Symphony to build a new concert venue at The Banks adjacent to Paul Brown Stadium. All three of the commissioners agree that the venue belongs on Lot 23 despite objections from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bengals owner Mike Brown has said that he believes the site southeast of the stadium should be used for tailgating by football fans and he wants the venue built on Lot 24 closer to the restaurants and bars. The county maintains that property is better suited for a new residential and commercial development and hopes to convince the football club to drop their opposition.
Plans for the concert venue include a new park area that Commissioner Chris Monzel says would be perfect for pregame football parties for the Bengals. There is a similar arena in Pittsburgh which hosts parties the night before Steelers games and the day of the game which are very well attended. Monzel tells Newsradio 700WLW's Scott Sloan the new development could be a win-win for both the county and the team.
Monzel feels very confident that the Bengals will end up supporting the project. He says " we are in that phase right now where we are walking through the process and going through all the different details."