RockyMountainHigh

They do, eventually, plan to introduce a retail component into The Banks, I hope? I'm thrilled with the restaurants, but coupled with what's already in the central business district and OTR and what's still to come (like the new 21c restaurant, Boca and the QCS restaurant), not to mention Mount Adams and Newport and I am wondering if we're rapidly approaching the point of over-saturation in the downtown basin area.

Looks like we'll find out today around 2:45 ... and judging by the press conference location for the announcement of the new restaurant, you may be on to something with Mahogany's. My guess is it's either that or Ruth's Chris, but I don't know why you'd hold the presser at the NURFC if it's RC. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2012/01/10/another-restaurant-headed-to-the-banks.html

The residential component is proving extremely popular and is virtually full, according to most accounts.

I gave the new Johnny Rockets two chances, and both times they disappointed. On my first visit, I sat at the bar (the bar bar, not the food bar) for about 10 minutes before anyone even realized I was there. Then the bartender came by, took my drink and food order and left again. I'm a draft beer fan and all they have are bottles, and they had only one Moerlein OTR left, so that's all I had. They had a single TV on a college football game, which isn't exactly the selection I expect out of a sports place. And the food was mediocre - the burger was good, the fries were abysmal. My second visit was around noon when I took my nephew prior to the Bengals-Browns game about a month ago. He's 15 so a slammed Holy Grail wasn't an option. The place was decently packed - all the tables were full so we sat at the food bar. Our waitress was very nice and the place had a good atmosphere with the music and the crowd. But, again, the beer was bottles only, the food was mediocre and the price tag was ridiculous for what we ordered (2 burgers, 2 fries, 1 Yuengling and 1 orange soda for about $35). I have a hard time imagining a scenario where I'd return once there are more alternatives there.

To no one's great surprise ... http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2011/12/toby-keiths-opening-at-banks-delayed.html Too bad. They could have made a killing over the weekend on New Years Eve and then New Years Day with the sold-out Bengals game.

I don't know much about the building, but adding windows for a potential office tenant doesn't seem like it would be the most difficult thing in the world.

With the new Marriott at Lytle Park, the new 21c on Walnut and plans for new hotels at St. Xavier Park and The Banks - not to mention the casino's option to build an on-site hotel after a few years, it's hard to imagine what would be another huge hotel at the Terrace Plaza. Is the possibility of residential redevelopment completely off the table? I think that may be it's best option, with street-level retail and maybe even a few floors of offices.

That building is too amazing to sit vacant like it is. And its street-level presence is sorely missed. It completely sucks the life out of that portion of Fourth Street.

That Toby Keith storefront is unbelievably underwhelming and disappointing. I had high hopes for that space. I'd even be OK with some gaudy neon sign or something to give that block some presence. Even most Hard Rock Cafes have those giant guitars that you can recognize from six blocks away. Everything about this Banks building is lackluster. Even Johnny Rockets has a sign that extends from the building. I assume they'll fill those windows with neon Bud Light signs and so forth, but still. If you aren't specifically looking for it, you'll pass right by. Case in point: we WALKED by that space after the Bengals game on Sunday and didn't so much as notice a thing. Poor, poor design. High school architecture classes could better this in one class period.

But, like most news organizations, they want to be centrally located within the metro and close to where the news happens. Frankly, in this metro, the majority of news, sports and entertainment takes place in or within a few miles of downtown. It is by no accident that the Enquirer, City Beat and Channels 5, 9, 12 and 19 are all clustered in or around downtown. And WLW used to be right there too, perched in Mount Adams before leaving for a cheaper building in Kenwood. In Denver it's the same way, with the Post and TV stations within a mile or two of one another in the downtown core area. Dayton seems to be the exception to this rule, with Channel 7 in Kettering, Channel 2 in Moraine, the Dayton Daily News in Springboro (though they maintain a newsroom presence downtown), and Channels 22/45 God knows where.

I'm not sure how much influence the president has/may have on something like this selection process, but I wonder if Mayor Mallory call make a call or two and pitch this. I know Obama and Mallory are friends and there has even been talk about a possible Mallory position in a second Obama term ... maybe this could help Cincinnati's chances of getting the OK?

It's amazing the contrast between that Irish infill and the dreck we see at Gateway, etc. I wish The Banks had that sort of vision and construction.

Choo choo crime train boondoggle to nowhere ... HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WooHoo! Way to go Cincinnati! Hope those Applebee's onion rings and Bud Light Limes are good tonight COAST

It's under a minute to play in the fourth quarter and we lead by two ... but the other team has the ball.

And they're 13 very big precincts. Torture, this is.

And wouldn't that be ironic?

You can be sure that Chris Smitherman and COAST are already salivating at the chance to cry foul and demand a recount. If this doesn't go their way and they lose by just a few, they're going to hanging chad this to death.

According to tweet from @917wvxu: "Issue 48 tightens yet again with 96% of precincts reporting -- 49.42% / Against: 50.58%" Good grief ... :drunk: :drunk: :drunk: :drunk: :drunk:

It's not as easy as saying it's just the Republicans trying to block this. The primary anti-streetcar voice has been, unbelievably, the leader of the local NAACP, though I suspect a lot of his opposition stems from his personal loathing for Cincinnati's current mayor (a Dem). He's certainly turning his back on the national NAACP position on urban rail transit. Much of the Republican/Tea Party anti-tax opposition is coming, predictably, from the burbs. And fortunately, they have no vote. If there is a conservative bastion within city limits, it's the west side, which is why so many of us are biting our nails awaiting those precincts to report.

Uh oh. :drunk:

Please tell me the west side has already reported.

With 88 of 173: No 20,499 51.4% Yes 19,405 48.6%

Yea, I'm confused by that too. But if true, that's a 6-3 pro-streetcar majority for council.

@917wvxu just tweeted: "Council top 9 with 151 precincts counted: Qualls, Thomas, Young, Winburn, Sittenfeld, Simpson, Quinlivan, Smitherman and Seelbach." If that many precincts have been counted, we may know something soon.

With 38 of 173 reporting: No 11,892 50.9% Yes 11,465 49.1%