3 minutes ago, ucnum1 said:

26 minutes ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

 

 

It is the Lindners and Meg Whitman.I agree and have heard the NHL is the most likely outcome for a new arena tenant.Again long term goal of theirs.This ownership group has a 10 and 20 year master plan outlined.

Meg Whitman is an interesting investor. She obviously is someone who is very well known and connected with a lot of wealthy individuals out on the West Coast, but she obviously loves what the Lindners are doing here and has that P&G connection to the city and has spent time here in the past so she has familiarity with the town. 

 

I would love her to take a larger role, even as some sort of civic leader and help develop more business opportunities in the core since she appears to want to invest her money in town. 

I'm not confident Cincinnati is a hockey town, like at all, but I know we could be better than the Arizona Coyotes who can't even average 5,000 people at their home games and are located in the f'ing desert. 

8 minutes ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

Meg Whitman is an interesting investor. She obviously is someone who is very well known and connected with a lot of wealthy individuals out on the West Coast, but she obviously loves what the Lindners are doing here and has that P&G connection to the city and has spent time here in the past so she has familiarity with the town. 

 

I would love her to take a larger role, even as some sort of civic leader and help develop more business opportunities in the core since she appears to want to invest her money in town. 

FC ownership group endgame is too have a work live and play fiefdom bookended by 2 sports arena and stadium.They have drawn up plans and timelines for all of it.The CES site is far and away their preference.The casino site is #2.

15 minutes ago, ucgrady said:

I'm not confident Cincinnati is a hockey town, like at all, but I know we could be better than the Arizona Coyotes who can't even average 5,000 people at their home games and are located in the f'ing desert. 

 

They're currently playing at Arizona State's campus hockey arena. The arena situation in the PHX area is a mess.

 

 

15 minutes ago, ucnum1 said:

FC ownership group endgame is too have a work live and play fiefdom bookended by 2 sports arena and stadium.They have drawn up plans and timelines for all of it.The CES site is far and away their preference.The casino site is #2.

 

Sorry, but when people start using the term "fiefdom" I tend to tune things out. Yeah, they want a live work play development just like every other major league franchise over the last 5 years.

The biggest problem with the current arena is the concourses are too small.   Why would we build a new one with "Limited Concourses"?  

1 minute ago, JaceTheAce41 said:

 

They're currently playing at Arizona State's campus hockey arena. The arena situation in the PHX area is a mess.

 

The NHL is in such a weird position right now. Some franchises like Seattle and Las Vegas just absolutely doing big numbers while some of the legacy ones such as Detroit and Pittsburgh are always strong—yet, there’s a few franchises that seem to have no reason to keep existing at the moment. Less surprised that Miami’s still around, but really just amazed that Phoenix manages to survive and also got permission to play in a 5,000 seat (albeit very nice) arena.

 

And there’s Quebec City with a brand new arena just begging for the NHL!

6 minutes ago, JaceTheAce41 said:

 

They're currently playing at Arizona State's campus hockey arena. The arena situation in the PHX area is a mess.

 

 

 

Sorry, but when people start using the term "fiefdom" I tend to tune things out. Yeah, they want a live work play development just like every other major league franchise over the last 5 years.

Sure but FC ownership is one of only a handful of ownership groups with budgets plans and property ownership and actively working to make this a reality.

12 minutes ago, JoeHarmon said:

The biggest problem with the current arena is the concourses are too small.   Why would we build a new one with "Limited Concourses"?  

 

I'd also be curious to see how they handle loading/unloading/logistics at that West End/CET site. I live right by the Aronoff and when a show is moving in/out — it's a delicate dance of semi trucks and aggravated Sherrif's deputies. 

Edited September 19, 20231 yr by Gordon Bombay

42 minutes ago, ucgrady said:

I know we could be better than the Arizona Coyotes

I had to Google to check if this was even a real team or a joke. I'm obviously not an avid NHL fan, but I am fairly interested in sports in general. That being said, I don't think I've ever heard mention of that team before today. 

29 minutes ago, Gordon Bombay said:

 

The NHL is in such a weird position right now. Some franchises like Seattle and Las Vegas just absolutely doing big numbers while some of the legacy ones such as Detroit and Pittsburgh are always strong—yet, there’s a few franchises that seem to have no reason to keep existing at the moment. Less surprised that Miami’s still around, but really just amazed that Phoenix manages to survive and also got permission to play in a 5,000 seat (albeit very nice) arena.

 

And there’s Quebec City with a brand new arena just begging for the NHL!

Because PHX is a top 15 media market and they can theoretically make more money on TV deals and media deals than they can getting butts in the seats. Although, that did not stop Atlanta from moving to Winnipeg. 

 

 

Edited September 19, 20231 yr by Brutus_buckeye

50 minutes ago, ucgrady said:

I'm not confident Cincinnati is a hockey town, like at all, but I know we could be better than the Arizona Coyotes who can't even average 5,000 people at their home games and are located in the f'ing desert.

If Hockey is the end game for the Lindner ownership group, you will probably see them tip their hands in the next couple years with a move like buying the Cyclones and moving them up a level or investing in local hockey youth clubs. 

6 hours ago, Cincy513 said:

New arenas are going away from being 20,000+ seats.  It's all about the premium seats now as that's where you make your money.  If people are going to attend a game/event they want to see the game/event well and be pampered.  Cramming more people into the rafters where you can barely see the court is not what people want anymore.  The Milwaukee Bucks new arena is under 18,000 seats. Seattle's renovated arena for their new NHL team has less then 19,000 seats.  T Mobile Arena in Vegas that opened a couple years ago for their NHL team is less then 18,000 seats for basketball or hockey games.  

 

If this new arena is bigger then 16,000 seats it would be plenty big for an NBA or NHL team.  I don't think we're ever going to get one of those franchises because our metro is too small, but an arena of that size doesn't eliminate the possibility.  

 

Oh yeah I completely agree. In my reply I was referencing the concourse space and overall room to have premium areas, not so much total seats. 

3 hours ago, jwulsin said:

I had to Google to check if this was even a real team or a joke. I'm obviously not an avid NHL fan, but I am fairly interested in sports in general. That being said, I don't think I've ever heard mention of that team before today. 

 

They are the least valuable team in major league sports -- right behind the Blue Jackets.

13 hours ago, Cincy513 said:

New arenas are going away from being 20,000+ seats.  It's all about the premium seats now as that's where you make your money. 

 

Paradoxically, the cheapest seats (the upper or upper-upper deck) in any arena or stadium are the most expensive to build. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seems like the new Arena is really gaining momentum, quite a few huge projects going on in Cincinnati.

 

How will this affect the continued residential and hotel conversions not only in downtown but OTR.

 

Does anyone have a good pulse on the pace of development in OTR vs. say 2019. We had our first baby in 2020 and I haven't been on the pulse as much, just read articles from time to time and browse this website.

 

Seems like for OTR it's north of Liberty?

I’d agree that there’s a ton of development north of liberty, with the new county garage, liberty and elm, and all the 3CDC/model projects around Findlay playground. South of liberty is mostly single family homes amd smaller renovations. However notably, to your point about this arena, a hotel is proposed at the corner of 12th and walnut as well as the proposed hotel at Magnolia and Central. 

18 hours ago, ucgrady said:

I’d agree that there’s a ton of development north of liberty, with the new county garage, liberty and elm, and all the 3CDC/model projects around Findlay playground. South of liberty is mostly single family homes amd smaller renovations. However notably, to your point about this arena, a hotel is proposed at the corner of 12th and walnut as well as the proposed hotel at Magnolia and Central. 

Oh yes, is that the redevelopment of the Germania? Building at 12th and Walnut?

 

I used to live close to 15th and Walnut and that area seemed ripe for development back in 2013. The Walnut Street corridor basically 13th Street and up. Has anything been happening there? I do know that stretch of 15th street is seeing a ton of redevelopment.

Northeast corner of Walnut and 14th is finally getting renovated by Urban Sites. It sat for a long time due to the Wade divorce. One of them was the owner of the property.

 

Haven't heard anything about Grammer's.

 

Mecca has been open at 15th and Walnut for a while now. The Bagelry is open on Walnut at the north side of the intersection with 14th. There aren't a ton of commercial spaces on 15th. Maybe one storefront that's unleased. It's largely residential, and I think mostly occupied.

Berding beating the war drum:

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2023/10/19/jeff-berding-champions-new-cincinnati-arena-to-draw-tourism/71208925007/

 

On his tombstone it's going to note him as the man who built three redundant sports venues. 

Berding beating the war drum:
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2023/10/19/jeff-berding-champions-new-cincinnati-arena-to-draw-tourism/71208925007/
 
On his tombstone it's going to note him as the man who built three redundant sports venues. 

It's kinda of ironic for him to bring up sales tax fatigue for paying for stadiums.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Except they're not redundant and do three different things.  People who don't follow sports love to claim one stadium/arena should be able to host all the different sports and that is just not how the real world works. 

Berding is right. Cincinnati needs a new arena.

1 hour ago, Miami-Erie said:

Berding is right. Cincinnati needs a new arena.

 

It does, but what he’s really saying is: “that new arena should be build right near the existing real estate interests I already have in order to benefit my friends and I.” 

In reality, the guy still can’t tell us what concerts we’re supposedly missing out on and the events that he can point out would be good, but not game changing. 

 

- March Madness? Sure, some early rounds would be nice, but the big games are now played in indoor NFL stadiums.

- Political Convention? Even if you get both big parties, you’re likely to only get each once once in an arena’s lifetime.

 

The whole “it could have 200-300 events a year” quote from that Enquirer article is a bit disingenuous and way over-ambitious in my opinion. Even if you did hit a massive number like that, how much of that is lightly attended minor league hockey games?

 

Realistically, the most practical development of a new arena would be with/connected to the convention center (preferably on the southern side so that its crowds can benefit the still struggling Banks), or, on the East side of downtown where there’s a sea of parking lots. Something constructed with a larger role, overall plan in mind rather than just the goal of benefitting whatever restaurant chains Berding and Co. lease for The Banks/Newport on the Levee West End edition. 

 

But this guy really, really wants it where it’s gonna benefit him most (not saying that’s some big evil secret, but he’s gonna push “WEST END” like crazy). Look at the “limited concourses” nonsense they proposed for the West End site. One of Heritage’s biggest issues is its terribly small concourses. Why repeat that? Even in a “limited” capacity. Seems like it would only need “limited” concourses at one specific site. 

 

Also love his Taylor Swift reference. We currently have an old, outdated 1970s arena yet we still got her tour for two nights because she’s playing NFL stadiums. Have a feeling her next tour will be like that too and whether or not this “West End Arena” is built—it won’t have an effect on rare, massive, major acts like hers. 

 

I agree Heritage Bank Arena is bad and I think there’s a legitimate case for a major city to have a good indoor arena/facility, but the way everyone just takes Berding at his word is nauseating. Not to sound like @Lazarus, but how many times are people gonna fall for his snake oil?

Edited October 20, 20231 yr by Gordon Bombay

Only the final four for march madness are played in nfl stadiums.  The first two weekends of the tournament are in regular arenas.  

Will there be 200-300 events a year? Yeah if you include all Cyclones games and everything else an arena attracts. Cincinnati is highly unlikely to get another major league tenant and UC really messed things up by redoing 5/3 instead of moving downtown or building a big arena near campus (which is what they should have done). IMO the arena and a new convention center needs to be outside of the downtown core. Move it to Queensgate or west of the new BSB with the venue on the riverfront. The West End site is terrible for an arena and there isn't an option of closing off a street as there was when TQL was built.

 

Cincinnati needs a new arena but the West End site is the worst place IMO.

19 minutes ago, JaceTheAce41 said:

Will there be 200-300 events a year? Yeah if you include all Cyclones games and everything else an arena attracts. Cincinnati is highly unlikely to get another major league tenant and UC really messed things up by redoing 5/3 instead of moving downtown or building a big arena near campus (which is what they should have done). IMO the arena and a new convention center needs to be outside of the downtown core. Move it to Queensgate or west of the new BSB with the venue on the riverfront. The West End site is terrible for an arena and there isn't an option of closing off a street as there was when TQL was built.

 

Cincinnati needs a new arena but the West End site is the worst place IMO.

For reference, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland is just north of 200 events per yer, including 41 Cavs and 36 Monsters games(not including preseason or playoffs).  

 

 

In 1996, Jeff Berding told us that all sorts of non-football events were going to be held at Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ballpark.  Nearly 30 years later, we can say with certainty that no more non-baseball/football events are happening at those two stadiums than were happening at singular Riverfront Stadium. 

 

In 2018, Jeff Berding told us that many non-soccer events would happen at TQL stadium.  They aren't. 

 

In 2023, Jeff Berding tells us that many arena events that aren't currently happening in Cincinnati will happen when we build him a new arena exactly where he says it ought to be.  Because the new arena will have...wider concourses.  Since we are physically so much larger than we were in 1975. 

22 minutes ago, Lazarus said:

In 1996, Jeff Berding told us that all sorts of non-football events were going to be held at Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ballpark.  Nearly 30 years later, we can say with certainty that no more non-baseball/football events are happening at those two stadiums than were happening at singular Riverfront Stadium. 

 

In 2018, Jeff Berding told us that many non-soccer events would happen at TQL stadium.  They aren't. 

 

In 2023, Jeff Berding tells us that many arena events that aren't currently happening in Cincinnati will happen when we build him a new arena exactly where he says it ought to be.  Because the new arena will have...wider concourses.  Since we are physically so much larger than we were in 1975. 

 

TQL stadium hosts 20 or more soccer events a year, it's already hosted The Who and will probably host a bowl game.

 

PBS (while a terrible deal for the county) hosts the Bengals, major concerts like Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift, the Cincy music festival, HS football showcases and other major events. More could be done, sure, but it does host other things.

 

GABP hosts 80+ Reds games, major concerts like Paul McCartney, Pink and Foo Fighters. IIRC Beyonce was there a couple of years ago too.

 

Hertiage Bank arena is vastly outdated. Yes, the concourses are too narrow to handle big crowds, and port-o-potties are brought in and set outside the building when big concerts are held there because it doesn't have adequate restrooms. It has nothing to do with the size of the people attending. But of course you know all of this

 

Also adding to this because I've actually worked in sports and have some idea of what it takes to turn a venue around. For an arena, it's not a huge deal as you can do hockey, basketball, concert, basketball, etc. all in concecutive nights. For a large venue like a football, baseball or soccer stadium, the turnover is a lot more involved. The fact that TQL is drawing 25,000 fans to 20 or so events a year is pretty good TBH. That's nearly half the weekends in the year with an event going on. PBS could host more because of the artificial surface.

Edited October 20, 20231 yr by JaceTheAce41

3 minutes ago, JaceTheAce41 said:

Black music festival

 

Just an FYI, it's called the Cincinnati Music Festival.  I know you meant no harm but I doubt anywhere here (except for me 😉) calls Homecoming 2023 the "White music festival."

1 hour ago, ColDayMan said:

 

Just an FYI, it's called the Cincinnati Music Festival.

 

It was formerly the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival, then the Cool Jazz Festival.  Historically, it was in fact a jazz festival with players like Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Dave Brubeck, Thelonious Monk, Maynard Ferguson, Miles Davis, Buddy Rich, etc. 

 

The festival was originally at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds.  It moved to Crosley Field for a years and then Riverfont Stadium.  They had a lot more seats to fill when it moved to Riverfront Stadium which explains why they started booking blues and R&B acts.  "Jazz" stayed in the event's name for many years after they stopped booking many or any actual jazz acts. 

 

1 hour ago, JaceTheAce41 said:

Hertiage Bank arena is vastly outdated. Yes, the concourses are too narrow to handle big crowds, and port-o-potties are brought in and set outside the building when big concerts are held there because it doesn't have adequate restrooms. It has nothing to do with the size of the people attending. But of course you know all of this

 

 

I am baffled by the notion that people somehow can't function in the 21st century in buildings that were built in the 1970s.  Does a "cramped" concourse actually ruin somebody's day?  I attended many events at Riverfront Coliseum (the circus, UC graduation, etc.) as a kid and it never once crossed anyone's mind that it was "cramped", that there was some inherent problem with the concession stands, bathrooms, or any of that.  The place held the World Figure Skating Championships in 1987.  Has Jeff Berding promised to bring the world's eyes back to Cincinnati?  And our wide concourses?

 

 

 

Just imagine that same triple sow-cow but with wider concourses! 

 

 

 

43 minutes ago, Lazarus said:

 

 

I am baffled by the notion that people somehow can't function in the 21st century in buildings that were built in the 1970s.  Does a "cramped" concourse actually ruin somebody's day?  I attended many events at Riverfront Coliseum (the circus, UC graduation, etc.) as a kid and it never once crossed anyone's mind that it was "cramped", that there was some inherent problem with the concession stands, bathrooms, or any of that.  The place held the World Figure Skating Championships in 1987.  Has Jeff Berding promised to bring the world's eyes back to Cincinnati?  And our wide concourses?

 

 

 

 

But if a building is over 100 years old everyone oohs and ahs and takes selfies in it. Even though buildings from that time were way worse at all of this. People think everything 40-80 years old should come down and they felt like that 40-80 years ago. Even if there are legitimate concerns aired about the building (which there almost always are) if the building is old enough no one cares. Buildings 40-80 years old don't get that privilege. That's how you get entire neighborhoods leveled. We have barely any mid-century in Columbus left besides SFH and campus.

 

The number one thing keeping bands away is proximity clauses in contracts. And they keep bands away from every city in-state and surrounding states.

6 hours ago, GCrites said:

 

But if a building is over 100 years old everyone oohs and ahs and takes selfies in it. Even though buildings from that time were way worse at all of this. People think everything 40-80 years old should come down and they felt like that 40-80 years ago. Even if there are legitimate concerns aired about the building (which there almost always are) if the building is old enough no one cares.

 

Either Oxford or Cambridge (I can't remember which) has 300+ year-old dorms that don't have bathrooms in them. You have to walk outside in the middle of the night and cross a courtyard to use bathrooms that were built around 1920.  This is at one of the top universities in the world.  Meanwhile, second-tier state schools in the United States are forced to build luxurious new dormitories.

 

 

13 hours ago, GCrites said:

The number one thing keeping bands away is proximity clauses in contracts. And they keep bands away from every city in-state and surrounding states.

I doubt Cincinnati loses many shows at all to proximity.   Even if it did, there is a good chance the promoter putting a band in Dayton is the same putting one in Cinci (Live Nation), so they wouldn't care.   *Maybe* like 20 years ago a band playing X fest in Dayton might have had to sign a proximity rider to skip Cincinnati.   But it rarely happens, if at all. 

 

The number one thing keeping bands away is avails for the buildings that work with a bands routing.  

Man...so much hate for PBS, GABP, and TQL. Y'all are right. We just should have passed on building them. 😑

On 10/20/2023 at 3:31 PM, JaceTheAce41 said:

 

TQL stadium hosts 20 or more soccer events a year, it's already hosted The Who and will probably host a bowl game.

 

PBS (while a terrible deal for the county) hosts the Bengals, major concerts like Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift, the Cincy music festival, HS football showcases and other major events. More could be done, sure, but it does host other things.

 

GABP hosts 80+ Reds games, major concerts like Paul McCartney, Pink and Foo Fighters. IIRC Beyonce was there a couple of years ago too.

 

Hertiage Bank arena is vastly outdated. Yes, the concourses are too narrow to handle big crowds, and port-o-potties are brought in and set outside the building when big concerts are held there because it doesn't have adequate restrooms. It has nothing to do with the size of the people attending. But of course you know all of this

 

Also adding to this because I've actually worked in sports and have some idea of what it takes to turn a venue around. For an arena, it's not a huge deal as you can do hockey, basketball, concert, basketball, etc. all in concecutive nights. For a large venue like a football, baseball or soccer stadium, the turnover is a lot more involved. The fact that TQL is drawing 25,000 fans to 20 or so events a year is pretty good TBH. That's nearly half the weekends in the year with an event going on. PBS could host more because of the artificial surface.

I think the big thing that we are missing in regards to the arena is a space that will attract events that will bring visitors to town. THat is the problem with Heritage. 

For 80% of events it is fine, but it is that 20% that is what boost tourism dollars.

 

The Cyclones are a nice amenity and send 3-5k people downtown on nights that they play however, a minor league hockey team does not get people to travel form out of town to see minor league hockey. It is about selling hotel nights and the Cyclones do not generate that buzz.

 

Heritage is fine for mid-tier concerts, but again they do not generate the hotel nights that the CVB seeks because those events do not bring a ton of visitors from other cities to town because oftentimes, those acts will stop in most regional cities anyway, plus they are not going to draw the crowd of a major headliner like Taylor Swift. As much as we all love the Trans Siberian Orchestra, they do not really generate much for hotel nights.

 

High School  Football nights and local events are a nice use of the stadium, but again, they do not generate the tourism dollars or out of town exposure that the CVB is looking to create.

 

That is why the need for the new arena. It is that top 20% of events. How much money does an NCAA tourney weekend bring  in? How many extra Cyclones games or REO Speedwagon concerts would the arena need to host to match an NCAA Tourney weekend. 

That is what they are trying to do with the arena. It is to get that 20% of events that generate the hotel nights for downtown.

The small concourses at heritage bank are an annoyance but they’re not why certain events don’t come here. It’s the lack of premium seats/areas, the terribly outdated and not large enough back of house areas and the old bad technology.
 

The arena is designed with one giant bowl of seating with only sky boxes for premium seats, and those have the worst view of any seat. The back of house areas are horribly outdated (like everything in the place) and there aren’t enough rooms. The NCAA specifically pointed out there aren’t enough locker rooms among many other issues. And of course the technology is terribly old which negatively affects the fan experience and the ability to advertise. 
 

As the current owners showed multiple years ago the only way to fix all these issues is to demo the arena down to the bones and build an entire new one on the same footprint. The cost would be the same as building a new arena in a new location. As I’ve said from the beginning if the FCC owners are going to help pay for it it’s going to be built by TQL stadium. The taxpayers certainly aren’t going to foot the entire bill themselves and there’s not anyone else stepping up to help pay for it.  

Cincinnati City Council candidates open to helping fund new arena

 

A majority of Cincinnati City Council candidates do not rule out the possibility of the city contributing funding in some form for a new arena.

 

There is continued chatter about a new facility to replace Heritage Bank Center, with Visit Cincy, the Ohio side of the river’s convention and visitors bureau, and its chairman, FC Cincinnati co-CEO Jeff Berding, pushing for a study of potential locations and costs.

 

No financing plan has been proposed, nor a location decided upon, although Visit Cincy has asked the city not to approve the redevelopment of the Town Center Garage on Central Parkway across the street from Music Hall.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/11/03/council-candidates-open-to-help-fund-new-arena.html

 

If Issue 22 passes, the city will find a way to spend a portion of the cash windfall on a new arena. As much as they talk about firehouses in Madisonville or whatever, we all know what’s really going to happen.

7 hours ago, taestell said:

If Issue 22 passes, the city will find a way to spend a portion of the cash windfall on a new arena. As much as they talk about firehouses in Madisonville or whatever, we all know what’s really going to happen.

 

Oh I'm sure that Steve Reece is going to get some money, just like how Cranley dished a few million to him out of the Anthem Demutualization payout 20 years ago.

 

Witness the exiled Nate Livingston trumping up the sale and Steve Reece. 

 

 

 

Cincinnati Cyclones spend millions to improve arena as team drops puck on season with attendance growth in sight

By Steve Watkins – Staff reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier

Nov 16, 2023

 

 

The owners of the Cincinnati Cyclones have invested $6 million in improvements to Heritage Bank Center in time for the start of the hockey season.

 

Nederlander Entertainment and Anschutz Entertainment, which own the 48-year-old downtown arena and the ECHL Cyclones, made three key changes in the offseason, Kristin Ropp, general manager of the Cyclones and the Heritage Bank Center, told me. The building's owners:

• Replaced the 7,076 seats in the lower bowl with new seats featuring cupholders at a cost of $2 million. The arena seats about 16,500 for hockey.
• Expanded the backstage area at a cost of about $3 million. That project, in the works now, means fans who are seated on the floor for concerts will no longer have to go upstairs for restrooms and concessions. Those have been added on the floor level. The backstage area will also have more space for crews and equipment and a new green room for performers.
• Added a 1,000-ton chiller to keep the building cool. That cost another $1 million.

MORE

58 minutes ago, jwulsin said:

Cincinnati Cyclones spend millions to improve arena as team drops puck on season with attendance growth in sight

By Steve Watkins – Staff reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier

Nov 16, 2023

 

 

The owners of the Cincinnati Cyclones have invested $6 million in improvements to Heritage Bank Center in time for the start of the hockey season.

 

Nederlander Entertainment and Anschutz Entertainment, which own the 48-year-old downtown arena and the ECHL Cyclones, made three key changes in the offseason, Kristin Ropp, general manager of the Cyclones and the Heritage Bank Center, told me. The building's owners:

• Replaced the 7,076 seats in the lower bowl with new seats featuring cupholders at a cost of $2 million. The arena seats about 16,500 for hockey.
• Expanded the backstage area at a cost of about $3 million. That project, in the works now, means fans who are seated on the floor for concerts will no longer have to go upstairs for restrooms and concessions. Those have been added on the floor level. The backstage area will also have more space for crews and equipment and a new green room for performers.
• Added a 1,000-ton chiller to keep the building cool. That cost another $1 million.

MORE

 

So the railroad-funded new arena won't get The Cyclones, meaning they'll try to start a rival minor league team (i.e. a reprise of The Mighty Ducks).  It'll be a lot cheaper to hold an event in the Nederlander-owned facility, meaning it'll still get most of the concerts and other events, despite its supposedly inhumane narrow concourses.   

 

 

If a new arena gets built Nederlander will stop getting most if not all of the non Cyclone events.  No major touring act is going to pick the 30+ year old dated arena over a brand new one.  That arena will start hemorrhaging money and I would think they'll eventually sell it/the land off.  

Edited November 16, 20231 yr by Cincy513

45 minutes ago, Lazarus said:

 

So the railroad-funded new arena won't get The Cyclones, meaning they'll try to start a rival minor league team (i.e. a reprise of The Mighty Ducks).  It'll be a lot cheaper to hold an event in the Nederlander-owned facility, meaning it'll still get most of the concerts and other events, despite its supposedly inhumane narrow concourses.   

The new investments on the part of New York-based theater and music venue operator Nederlander and Los Angeles-based sports and live entertainment operator Anschutz come as talk heats up about the need for a new arena in Cincinnati.

“We’ve been part of those conversations and have said we support it wholeheartedly,” Ropp said.

The Cyclones owners are interested in financing part of the project and being part of the ownership group for the facility, Ropp said.

“We’re certainly willing to be part of it and said we would shoulder part of it,” Ropp said. “With that, we would want to manage the facility and we would move the Cyclones there.”

Details haven’t been determined but recent discussion among city leaders has pushed the much-needed project closer to reality.

“There’s a lot that needs to happen to get there, obviously,” Ropp said. “Namely identifying the right space for a 20,000-seat venue and parking for an additional 5,000 vehicles.

45 minutes ago, Lazarus said:

 

Read the article it states the Cyclones would contribute financial capital to the new arena.Would move the Cyclones to said new facility and their parent company would want to manage said facility.

Edited November 16, 20231 yr by ucnum1
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59 minutes ago, Lazarus said:

 

So the railroad-funded new arena won't get The Cyclones, meaning they'll try to start a rival minor league team (i.e. a reprise of The Mighty Ducks).  It'll be a lot cheaper to hold an event in the Nederlander-owned facility, meaning it'll still get most of the concerts and other events, despite its supposedly inhumane narrow concourses.   

 

 

 

I guess you didn't read the article.

Railroad money can't pay for an arena, but you know that.

 

Anyway. UC not moving to a renovated Heritage Bank Arena or building a new 15,000-16,000 seat arena on the site of the Innovation District and instead sinking money into renovating 5/3 will go down as one of the biggest own goals in Cincinnati sports history. We're not getting any more major league sports in this town

1 hour ago, Cincy513 said:

No major touring act is going to pick the 30+ year old dated arena over a brand new one. 

 

The Cincinnati Gardens hosted tons of sold-out concerts in the 1980s and 1990s, after the construction of Riverfront Coliseum, along with XU Basketball, WWF wrestling, NWA wrestling, motocross, monster trucks, the Shriner Circus, etc.  I remember XU basketball occasionally being bumped back to the old gym on campus when a game conflicted with a bigger event.

 

 

What's comical is that the various university arenas (three of them!) are typically *not* hosting that stuff at their places, which are all more modern than Riverfront Coliseum, because they aren't big enough and because their schedules are clogged with low-attendance Title IX stuff.  

 

Comparing athletic facilities at X/UC/NKU to a regional Arena for an entire metropolitan area is apples and oranges. The main goal of those facilities is to host the athletic teams of those Universities, with anything else being gravy. If they all combined to be the main tenants at 1 single premier facility you would likely not be able to host many events other than college athletics anytime but in the summer anyway (due to the schedules of basketball, volleyball etc) as it would be at least 9 teams (M/W bball and W vball at three schools) all sharing it. Not to mention big-time donors from "rival" schools typically do not pool their funds together. 

49 minutes ago, JaceTheAce41 said:

Railroad money can't pay for an arena, but you know that.

 

Anyway. UC not moving to a renovated Heritage Bank Arena or building a new 15,000-16,000 seat arena on the site of the Innovation District and instead sinking money into renovating 5/3 will go down as one of the biggest own goals in Cincinnati sports history. We're not getting any more major league sports in this town

UC makes a lot more money owning and controlling every aspect of its own arena. Having its sports teams and events such as graduation needing to go off campus is not at all the better option. They would just be a tenant in a new arena and have to schedule around other events/occupants so the move would have been foolish. Many University’s around the country from football to basketball are trying to get out of shared big public facilities and move them on campus.

Edited November 16, 20231 yr by 646empire

39 minutes ago, JaceTheAce41 said:

Railroad money can't pay for an arena, but you know that.

 

 

It can and it will, because any new income for a restricted fund = freed up money from unrestricted funds.  The railroad income will cover much or all of the existing capital budget outside of the previous railroad income, freeing up that income to be spent on the arena and convention center.