ST. LOUIS -- If plans to build a new downtown ballpark are approved, the St. Louis Cardinals would get much less money than they had wanted for the project, with several more strings attached.

That's the result of a hard bargain driven on behalf of the public, say state and local officials who last June signed a "memorandum of understanding" with the Cardinals.

It wasn't until only recently, however, that all of the specifics were spelled out in a project agreement among the parties.

"The result is an agreement that outshines any stadium development agreement in the country in terms of benefits to the public and protections to the taxpayers," said Gov. Bob Holden.

While skeptics have cast doubt on the supposed benefits, Cardinals officials have quietly cringed at what they consider to be large concessions.

"When we started this project, our hope was their combined public investment would be about $19 million a year," said Cardinals president Mark Lamping.

The Cardinals also had hoped to keep money from the stadium's naming rights. And the team viewed the neighboring Ballpark Village -- a mixed residential and commercial development -- as "something that's nice to get done" but not "tied directly to the ballpark," Lamping said.

One-third less

Instead, the combined state, county and city aid would be $13.2 million annually -- nearly one-third less than what the Cardinals had sought.

Money from the naming rights would not go directly to the Cardinals, but rather to a fund that could be tapped by the state and city if taxes generated by the ballpark do not cover public bond payments.

The agreement also obligates the Cardinals to build the Ballpark Village or pay penalties, beginning in 2009, that eventually could reach $100 million if the project never gets done.

"We have agreed to many things that at the very beginning, based on our analysis of what other clubs have had to do, we never thought we would need to," Lamping said.

The St. Louis project is expected to cost $646 million, including $346 million to build the 49,000-seat stadium.

The state's share would be no more than $7 million a year for 30 years -- a total of $210 million. Those installments would pay off $100 million in bonds used to build the stadium. The city would pay $4.2 million a year over the same period, and St. Louis County would pay another $2 million annually out of its lodging tax.

The bonds that would be repaid by public funds cover $200 million of the stadium's construction cost, or about 58 percent of the estimated cost of the ballpark. The Cardinals would pay for the rest, including any cost overruns and operating and maintenance expenses.

When team owners say they and private developers will pay for more than two-thirds of the project, they include the planned Ballpark Village in their total. That development would cost a minimum of $300 million.

The Cardinals also would pay at least half of any necessary infrastructure changes, such as rebuilding a ramp to U.S. 40 or MetroLink light rail tracks. Public money would have to be sought for the rest.

If lawmakers approve the proposal, construction in downtown St. Louis could begin later this year. The Cardinals owners hope to have the ballpark ready to field a team by 2005, with full completion scheduled for 2006.