Add another $13.5 million to the cost of the Bengals riverfront stadium complex.
A string of higher-than-expected jury verdicts has led Hamilton County officials to increase their budget to buy land for the Bengals riverfront stadium project.
The county originally budgeted $50 million to buy land for the stadium but has increased the budget to $63.5 million, County Commissioner John Dowlin said.
That brings the cost of the stadium complex, including land and initial financing costs, to $413.8 million.
''It may well go higher,'' Mr. Dowlin said of the land costs. ''I think that's life.''
Bengals officials stressed that the cost of the stadium itself has not changed since the team's lease with the county was announced in May. The stadium is budgeted to cost $270 million. The rest of the budget consists of the cost of buying land, building parking lots, building the stadium plaza and infrastructure.
A Hamilton County jury on Friday awarded the owners of S&C Properties $2.75 million for their parking lot at Pete Rose Way and Plum Street. The amount was less than the $5.6 million the owners wanted but more than the $1.1 million county attorneys said the property was worth.
''We're somewhat disappointed in that we thought we had solid appraisals on the property,'' said Andrew Patton, an attorney for Hamilton County.
Robert Manley, the attorney for S&C, called the verdict ''a good result financially,'' but said it was not so great that the property owners have decided to stop fighting the county in a separate case challenging eminent domain.
''We haven't made that decision yet,'' he said.
The S&C case marks the third time Hamilton County juries have awarded property owners more than the county thought was reasonable. With Caddy's Complex, Caddy's attorneys said the property was worth $5.5 million. The county argued it was worth $1.3 million. The jury awarded $3.1 million.
With Flanagan's Landing, Flanagan's attorneys said the property was worth $3.7 million. The county argued it was worth $1 million. The jury awarded $2.1 million.
The county's fourth trial over a property pricing dispute is scheduled to start Tuesday. The county offered Caruso Inc. $1.4 million. Caruso has asked the county for as much as $12.3 million. S&C and Caruso have aggressively fought the county's efforts to take their property. Mr. Manley, who represents both property owners, argued the county has no right to take the property using eminent domain because the stadium is not a public use. A visiting judge in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas ruled against Mr. Manley.
Mr. Manley also has filed a complaint in federal court, arguing that the county's efforts to seize the properties violates the constitutional rights of his clients to own and operate their businesses.
