Hamilton County agreed to pay $36.5 million for 24 acres on the riverfront Wednesday, the first movement forward in the Bengals stadium construction in months.
The county will buy the land from the Castellini Family Trust, the largest private landowner on the riverfront. The sale turns up the heat on Cincinnati to relocate the produce industry headquartered on the river, which employs about 700 people.
''This is a very real indication that this project is getting under way,'' said County Commission President Bob Bedinghaus.
In recent months, news about skyrocketing stadium costs has robbed the community of the pride it should feel in the project, he said. The estimated price of the Bengals stadium project has risen from $184.5 million to $400.3 million.
''We are one of the few communities in this country willing to take the chance and change the face of our community,'' Mr. Bedinghaus said.
Mr. Bedinghaus and Commissioner Tom Neyer Jr. voted to have the county administrator enter into an agreement with the Castellini Family Trust.
Commissioner John Dowlin was absent but said in a statement he opposed the deal, arguing the county should wait until crucial city land had been transferred to the county.
If all goes as planned, the county will take possession of most of the Castellini land on Dec. 8. At the same time, the trust has offered to donate 4 acres to the city for a public park, as had been expected.
The Castellini Co., one of the nation's largest produce companies, will relocate from the riverfront to a temporary home in Blue Ash, spokesman Joseph Bride said.
The company continues to negotiate for two relocation sites, Mr. Bride said. One is in Riverside-Sedamsville, which would keep it in Cincinnati, and the other is in Wilder in Northern Kentucky.
''We're happy that it has taken place,'' Mr. Bride said of the land sale. ''We're strong supporters of the stadium project and happy they're able to move forward.''
The county has budgeted $50 million to buy just over 50 acres on the riverfront, and the deal announced Wednesday is the major piece. The purchase follows a 1996 ballot vote that raised the county sales tax by a half-cent to build new Bengals and Reds stadiums. Wednesday's deal makes it possible to break ground March 1, county commissioners said, and have the Bengals ready to play in a new riverfront stadium by the 2000 season.
The Reds are stuck in talks with the county, with no agreement on where their new stadium would be built.
Mr. Dowlin delivered a blistering criticism of the sale in his statement. He said the county should wait until Cincinnati, the largest riverfront landowner, fulfills its ''obligation'' to transfer property rights to the county. The county is now stuck with the Castellini land, which is too small for a stadium without the city's acres.
''Our relations with the city are such that it is necessary to have the city land 'in hand' prior to the Castellini property purchase,'' wrote Mr. Dowlin, who was out of town on vacation.
The city has a Dec. 15 deadline to consider the transfer of land. Mr. Dowlin also charged that property owner Robert H. Castellini walked away from a handshake agreement on Sept. 15, when the same price was offered as was agreed upon Wednesday. He said Mr. Castellini asked for more money and halted preliminary construction the county had begun on the property.
The delay tied up a crane and other equipment, costing the taxpayers $23,000, Mr. Dowlin wrote.
Mr. Dowlin also said that Mr. Castellini had asked for interest on money from the date of the first agreement, Sept. 15, through Jan. 27, when the closing is scheduled. The county should refuse to pay interest through Nov. 21, when the parties resumed their agreement, Mr. Dowlin said. That totals $600,000.
''As much as the money, it is the principle of paying interest to a property owner whose delay to deal with the county was his own choice,'' Mr. Dowlin wrote.
He was outvoted by the other commissioners, however, who said they would not characterize Mr. Castellini as having ''walked away'' from an agreement.
Mr. Bedinghaus denied the sale price contains an interest payment.
Other owners balk
Trial dates are set for December and January in the cases of four, smaller property owners: Flanagan's Landing, Caddy's Complex, S&C Properties and Caruso Inc.
S&C and Caruso filed a claim Tuesday that argues the stadium is not a ''public use'' and so the county has no right to take the land by eminent domain. County officials have said they are confident the stadium is a legitimate public use.
At the very least, the new suit has the potential to slow down the county.
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There remain several smaller landowners on the riverfront. The county has begun eminent domain proceedings against four of them to force them to sell.
Robert Manley, a lawyer representing landowners Caruso Inc. and S&C Properties, said the county filed suit, then talked later with his clients. The county is required by law to negotiate with a landowner before starting eminent domain procedures.
''They only follow that requirement with Castellini, not with us, because we're the little guys,'' Mr. Manley said Wednesday.
At $36.5 million for Castellini's 24 acres, that's $1.52 million per acre. Mr. Manley said the county offered his clients $1.4 million for two acres and a building.
The Castellini land was appraised last year for tax purposes at $17.9 million for 17.2 of the acres. That's $1.04 million per acre.
In May 1995, Mr. Castellini discussed developing the riverfront himself, in partnership with Forest City Enterprises of Cleveland, to include a low-rise office building, apartments, stores and restaurants.
