Hamilton County estimates dome on Paycor would cost $1 billion. 'We just can't afford it'

[Arkansas Bengal]

BENGALS

Scott Wartman

Cincinnati Enquirer

 

 

 

A dome on Paycor Stadium would come with large benefits but also at great cost, according to a presentation to the Hamilton County commissioners on Tuesday.

 

Roofing the 24-year-old stadium carries a price tag of about $1 billion, said Hamilton County Administrator Jeff Aluotto as he presented a study from two architectural firms.

 

The dome cost would be in addition to the $1 billion or so in improvements currently being considered as the county and Bengals negotiate a new lease on Paycor Stadium.

 

Two of the three county commissioners concluded the cost is too much. Commissioners Stephanie Summerow Dumas and Denise Driehaus said a dome can't be done..

 

"From my vantage point, we just can’t afford it," Driehaus said. "I’ve not heard people clamoring for a dome."

 

Hamilton County spent $139,000 to contract with architectural firms Gensler and AECom to look at the possibility of a dome. Hamilton County Board of Commissioners President Alicia Reece floated the idea of making Paycor Stadium an arena earlier this month at an editorial board meeting with The Cincinnati Enquirer, saying she wants the county to look at all possibilities.

 

 

Reece: Don't rule out dome

 

Reece, while not saying who should pay for it, said on Tuesday a dome shouldn't be immediately dismissed. Domes might be a necessity for stadiums in the future, she said. She said she doesn't want the county faced with the obligation to put a dome on the stadium 10, 20 years from now.

 

 

 

"I’m trying to make sure we don’t have to come back for 20 years," Reece said. "I want this thing viable for 20 years. Is this stadium viable for 20 years from now? That’s why we’re here now. They didn’t do the dome the first time."

 

A dome on the open air stadium would allow the region to host some of the largest events in the country, including the Super Bowl, Wrestlemania, the Final Four and other major events, Aluotto said on Tuesday. The main hurdle? Who would pay the $1 billion additional money?

 

"Enclosing the stadium is a very expensive proposition," Aluotto said. "While it was a good, smart move to investigate the possibility, absent an additional revenue source, it would be from a financial perspective very challenging enclosing Paycor Stadium."

An arena on the Bengals practice field?

Reece on Tuesday brought up her proposal for combining the Paycor Stadium renovations into another item on the business community's wish list, a new arena. She asked Tom Gabelman, one of the attorneys negotiating with the Bengals on behalf of the county, whether an arena could go on the site of the Bengals practice field next to Paycor Stadium.

 

"I'd like to see a multifaceted facility that can be an arena ... " Reece said. "I’m looking for a sports entertainment component."

 

Reece said she was under the impression the Bengals weren't keen on a proposal for the county to build a $300 million indoor practice facility and team offices next to Paycor. Gabelman clarified that the Bengals want improvements inside Paycor Stadium to be the priority over any practice facility or improvements to the surrounding area.

 

If an arena were to go next to Paycor Stadium on the land the Bengals use for practice, the county would have to find another location for the practice field, he said.

 

Commissioners said negotiations with the Bengals haven't begun in earnest. The lease on Paycor Stadium expires in 2026.

 

 

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2024/10/30/what-would-a-dome-on-paycor-stadium-cost/75948217007/

[Cricket]

They are looking into a cheaper alternative for a retractable roof…

 

…with a crank at every seat.  😎

 

[|BlackJesus|]

Good. I don't want them to have a dome. 

 

Football should be played in the elements.

[Bleeds Orange]

The first batch of modern domes started rolling out in 2002, with Ford Field (Detroit), Lumen Field (Seattle), and NRG Stadium (Houston) all opening that year. The cost of those four facilities and Paycor were as follows (source: Wikipedia):

 

2002 Ford Field (Detroit):  $500 million

2002 Lumen Field (Seattle): $430 million

2002 NRG (Houston): $352 million

2000 Paycor Stadium (Cincinnati): $455 million ($476 million in 2002 dollars)

 

If these numbers are correct (and they seem suspect to me), Cincinnati paid considerably more than two of those three, and almost as much as the third, for a stadium that now needs an overhaul. I don't like football indoors, but all the supposed benefits of a roof could have been realized for the past 24 years if they'd done what those other cities did in the first place.

[sparky151]

Lumen field in Seattle is open air. 

 

But Cincinnati can probably afford something like Lucas Oil stadium in Indy. 

[-GoBengals-]

10 hours ago, BlackJesus said:

Good. I don't want them to have a dome. 

 

Football should be played in the elements.

 

no one making the decision cares, they are looking for return on investment, a dome allows more concerts in winter, the final 4, wrestlemanias, etc..

 

7 hours ago, Bleeds Orange said:

The first batch of modern domes started rolling out in 2002, with Ford Field (Detroit), Lumen Field (Seattle), and NRG Stadium (Houston) all opening that year. The cost of those four facilities and Paycor were as follows (source: Wikipedia):

 

2002 Ford Field (Detroit):  $500 million

2002 Lumen Field (Seattle): $430 million

2002 NRG (Houston): $352 million

2000 Paycor Stadium (Cincinnati): $455 million ($476 million in 2002 dollars)

 

If these numbers are correct (and they seem suspect to me), Cincinnati paid considerably more than two of those three, and almost as much as the third, for a stadium that now needs an overhaul. I don't like football indoors, but all the supposed benefits of a roof could have been realized for the past 24 years if they'd done what those other cities did in the first place.

 

also these are all costs based on building in an open space brand new if i had to guess, and the bengals nad reds had to build in downtown while tearing down another stadium in the meantime, all of which is incredibly more costly.   seattles setup is probably most similar to cincinnati with water on one side and 3 entertainment complexes next to eachother

 

 

[T-Dub]

Absurd to me that anyone but the NFL should be paying for NFL stadiums. Give them a break on the land, zoning, taxes etc.. Sure, that makes sense and doesn't really cost the city/county if having a team is so great for the local economy. That's a net gain.

 

Beyond that though they can pound sand. The NFL and Bengals specifically can afford a dome a hell of a lot easier than the city. As long as there are homeless camps under a bridge half a mile away it's bordering on obscene to even consider, frankly.

[Bleeds Orange]

23 hours ago, sparky151 said:

Lumen field in Seattle is open air. 

 

But Cincinnati can probably afford something like Lucas Oil stadium in Indy. 

 

You are correct and I didn't realize that. Based on the pics I had seen, I assumed it had a roof that would close.

 

[UncleEarl]

22 hours ago, GoBengals said:

 

no one making the decision cares, they are looking for return on investment, a dome allows more concerts in winter, the final 4, wrestlemanias, etc..

 

 

 

 

C'mon....no shot Cincinnati is getting a Final 4, Wrestlemania, etc.  Dome or not the town doesn't have the lodging and entertainment infrastructure to support those events unless they overpay massively for the honor.