The chairwoman of the city's Stadium Authority said yesterday she believes that an agreement that gave a Columbus firm the right to develop the land between Heinz Field and PNC Park should be rebid.

Debbie Lestitian told City Council members at a sometimes heated post-agenda meeting yesterday that she doesn't believe Continental Real Estate Cos. hit required benchmarks for developing the land. As a result, the option agreement involving the developer, the Steelers and the Pirates has expired, she said, and should be rebid for the best deal.

However, Mary Conturo, executive director of the Stadium Authority, said there is disagreement over whether the agreement has expired. Throwing out the agreement could trigger lawsuits and delay development between the two stadiums, where two office buildings have been erected and a hotel has been proposed, she said.

Ms. Conturo said Continental, the Steelers, the Pirates and the Stadium Authority currently are involved in negotiations to try to reach a settlement that would allow development to continue.

City Councilman William Peduto, a former stadium authority board member, said any new agreement should include provisions that the teams and Continental pay fair market value for the land and incur penalties if they don't meet deadlines for developing the real estate. He said it also should include a community benefits agreement for North Side residents.

One group, Northside United, has been trying to get a deal with Continental, but has been unsuccessful so far. Michael Glass, a chair on Northside United, told council the developer indicated it would not sign such an agreement.

During the meeting, Ms. Conturo disputed claims that the Steelers will get a prime piece of North Shore property for $1 million for an amphitheater project.

A consent order involving the Steelers, the Pirates and the proposed North Shore casino involving traffic issues mentions such an amount for the parcel, but Ms. Conturo said the Stadium Authority, which owns the land, never signed off on such a deal.

"Nobody but the owner of the land can sell it," she said.