Cincinnati City Council strengthened its position on redeveloping the Banks on Wednesday, unanimously adopting a position insisting that the riverfront development not burden city taxpayers.

 

"This is a polite way of saying we're not happy with the cooperation we're getting," said Councilman David Crowley, author of the resolution. He said the city manager wasn't getting the information he needs from Hamilton County officials to move the project along.

 

What do you guys think? Should the city pay taxes to help fund The Banks?

 

I say yes. I wonder how much $$$ the city would be raking in from The Banks, in comparison to GABP? Anyone know?

Banks plan: Sail or sink?

 

By Marla Matzer Rose

Enquirer staff writer

 

As Cincinnati makes another run at developing the riverfront between Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ball Park, it faces problems that have confronted waterfront cities elsewhere:

 

Financing. Land acquisition. Decisions on the right mix of retail, residential and recreational venues. One-size-fits-all doesn't apply, says Michael Purzycki, executive director of the Riverfront Development Corp. of Delaware.

 

"We were looking for the Holy Grail, and there is none," he says. His city, Wilmington, developed the banks of the Christina River with walking paths, an exhibition hall and an outlet mall.

 

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051009/NEWS01/510090421/-1/CINCI

Deal on Banks due before Dec. 7

 

By Marla Matzer Rose

Enquirer staff writer

 

Hamilton County and two private developers are in talks that they hope will lead to an agreement to turn Cincinnati's central riverfront into the Banks, a proposal for 15 acres of condos, apartments, shops, restaurants and a hotel.

 

This idea for a revitalized riverfront goes back to January 1998, when the city agreed to transfer riverfront land to Hamilton County so that Paul Brown Stadium could be built.The deal, which called for the county to build parking garages along the riverfront for future development, triggered a proposal that eventually became the Banks plan.

 

Designs for the Banks were first unveiled in 1999 by a city-county riverfront advisory board.

 

 

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051009/EDIT03/510090314

Venturing beyond the banks

Projects in other cities offer Cincinnati models - and cautions

 

By Marla Matzer Rose

Enquirer staff writer

 

Thirty years ago, Baltimore wasn't high on many out-of-towners' lists of places to spend a weekend. Its ethnic neighborhoods had a certain blue-collar charm, but its downtown had seen far better days. All its department stores had closed, and the harbor abutting the central business district was dotted with vacant buildings.

 

Yet this year, a transformed Baltimore was named one of the world's top 10 destinations by Frommer's travel guides. The city last year was host to 11.8 million visitors, who spent an estimated $2.9 billion.

 

 

Making connections

 

In the early 1990s, Wilmington set out to replace the remnants of a once-vibrant shipbuilding hub along the Christina River with a unique complex that would lure people and spending back downtown. One of that city's biggest challenges remains creating connections between downtown and the riverfront, which is cut off by railroad tracks.

 

Cincinnati leaders faced a similar dilemma. Their answer was the Fort Washington Way project, completed in 2001, which narrowed the concrete expressway trench that divides downtown from the Ohio River.

 

 

Success can't be cloned

 

If waterfront development were one-size-fits all, the nation would be dotted with copycat versions of Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Early in the riverfront planning process in Wilmington, an artist even envisioned digging out the Christina River in the shape of Baltimore's harbor. (The plan was never executed.)

 

People in Delaware's largest city liked what they saw just 70 miles southwest in Baltimore. Both cities were hit hard from the 1950s through the 1980s by the middle-class flight to the suburbs.

 

Long time frames

 

If Cincinnatians are frustrated about the time it's taking to get the Banks going, they should know that waterfront projects are never overnight successes. Years frequently turn into decades.

 

Baltimore had a time frame of 20 to 30 years for its original 30-acre Inner Harbor plan, factoring in costs and delays. The plan's birth wasn't easy, either.

 

"Harbor Place (the initial phase of the project) went to referendum and barely passed," says Rigby of the Waterfront Center. "The neighborhoods said, 'We need the money.' The argument for the project was, 'The city is going down the tubes, and we need to turn it around.' "

 

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051009/EDIT03/510090309/-1/CINCI

Banks need city-county trust

Editorials

 

As the stories on today's front page and in Forum say, the Banks project along Cincinnati's riverfront could and should become a regional centerpiece, attracting tourists, businesses and dollars with a mix of entertainment, retail and housing.

 

Waterfront developments are the dream projects on many urban landscapes these days. But as the stories by Marla Matzer Rose also point out, bringing such projects to fruition can take years, even decades, of work. And the cooperation of different government entities is often the key ingredient to success.

 

The Banks project is reaching a critical point, and the cooperation between officials at City Hall, the Hamilton County commissioners and the local business community is more crucial than ever.

 

June 10, the county surprised the city and local business leaders by announcing an agreement to negotiate with developers Bill Butler and Rob Smygunas for exclusive development rights on the $600 million project.

 

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051009/EDIT01/510090305/-1/CINCI

 

Leadership: Who's in charge? Hamilton County has asserted itself as the group driving the project. Meanwhile, the city of Cincinnati still controls some of the site; it also has to give planning and zoning approvals for what's built. It remains uncertain what role the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority and Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. will play

 

  It might take a miracle to get past the first hurdle.

Showdown looms over Banks project

City leaders worried Hamilton County's riverfront financing plan is 'overly optimistic'

Lucy May and Dan Monk

Staff Reporters

 

 

As Hamilton County works to finalize a deal to develop the central riverfront, Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken worries that county officials might be setting up the city to take the fall if the development fails.

 

 

Luken said he met a month ago with Hamilton County Commission President Phil Heimlich and county consultant Ron Roberts to talk about the city's concerns regarding the riverfront development known as The Banks.

 

"They told me they were going to negotiate this development agreement and they would tell the city what its responsibilities were under it, and we could either make the deal or break the deal," Luken said. "I thought that was a difficult situation for the city to be in."

 

City officials are worried that the county's financing plan for the riverfront development is "overly optimistic" and want to make sure the city isn't liable for any debt issued for the project. They also want assurances that The Banks development will be a feasible, quality project. And they are putting the county on notice that the city will need time to review any development deal for The Banks before deciding whether to approve it.

 

 

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2005/10/10/story1.html

Sweet, there a few smart people around after all.

 

<b>Playhouse may move to Banks</b>

 

By Jerry Stein

Post staff reporter

 

The possibility of moving Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park from its longtime home in Mount Adams to the Ohio riverfront is being considered as part of a feasibility study for the theater.

 

It would make the theater part of the Banks project.

 

"The board and the staff have been involved in a strategic planning process for probably about two years now," said Playhouse Executive Director Buzz Ward.

 

The future of the 626-seat main stage theater, the Robert S. Marx Theater built in 1968, is just a part of the wide-ranging study which is due in November.

 

"This encompasses a broad spectrum of issues -our programming, education, endowment, our facilities, etc. -for the future," Ward said.

 

The Playhouse has identified a need for a new theater in some form.

 

 

Publication date: 10-14-2005

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051014/NEWS01/510140361

Hmm...I'm not sure on this.  It would depend on what they do with the old Playhouse, I guess.  It's a big part of what make Mt. Adams so cool, and while Mt. Adams will still be very cool without it, I hate to redistribute coolness.  The Playhouse in the Banks would definitely be great for the Banks and great for downtown, but what would replace it in Mt. Adams?  Did I miss that answer in the article?

From the 10/14/05 Enquirer:

 

 

Cash swap gives Banks plan $20M

Deal with ODOT legally allows county to build roads to project

By Dan Klepal

Enquirer staff writer

 

A money swap between the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments and the Ohio Department of Transportation on Thursday ensured that $20.8 million earmarked for the Banks riverfront development still is headed to the billion-dollar riverfront project.

 

The cash was in question because the federal money was supposed to be used only to reduce congestion and air pollution.

 

Half of that $20 million already had been approved by federal officials to build parking garages for the Banks, under the theory that the parking would keep people from driving around aimlessly to find parking spots. But Hamilton County wanted to use the second $10 million allocation to build roads connecting the development.

 

E-mail [email protected]

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051014/NEWS01/510140385/1056/rss02

 

I am all for the Playhouse moving downtown.  Show nights in Mt. Adams are horrible when it comes to traffic and parking, and I am sure the land could be put to a more productive neighborhood use.  As far as the Banks, I am all for that too, but I wish there was a spot somewhere available in the "Entertainment District" around the Aronoff to build upon the success of all the other attractions.

 

 

>I am all for the Playhouse moving downtown. 

 

Well it seems like a waste of the perfectly good facility in Mt. Adams.  I haven't been there in 10 years, and maybe some people would say the facility isn't up to contemporary standards, but then again if they toughed it out for 15 more years it'll be eligible for the historic register.  So thrust stages were hip 40 years ago, but apparently they aren't now.  And then in 40 years they'll be complaining about wanting a thrust stage.   

 

>As far as the Banks, I am all for that too, but I wish there was a spot somewhere available in the "Entertainment District" around the Aronoff to build upon the success of all the other attractions.

 

There's tons of large surface parking lots in that area.  7th & Vine east, 7th & Vine west, 7th & Main (directly opposite the small Aronoff theater), 7th & Sycamore north, 7th & Sycamore (former St. X High School), 8th & Sycamore, 5th & Race, 6th & Race, 4th & Plumb, 5th & Plumb, etc., etc., etc.  Buidling the CAC at 6th & Walnut, where such a tight footprint dictated a high skinny building, was stupid and raised the price of construction.  There were tons of parking lots around with more space, and they wouldn't have had to relocate businesses. 

 

 

There's tons of large surface parking lots in that area.  7th & Vine east, 7th & Vine west, 7th & Main (directly opposite the small Aronoff theater), 7th & Sycamore north, 7th & Sycamore (former St. X High School), 8th & Sycamore, 5th & Race, 6th & Race, 4th & Plumb, 5th & Plumb, etc., etc., etc.  Buidling the CAC at 6th & Walnut, where such a tight footprint dictated a high skinny building, was stupid and raised the price of construction.  There were tons of parking lots around with more space, and they wouldn't have had to relocate businesses.

 

I thought about all of those above, but most are too small, earmarked for other uses, or are too far away.  The only one in my mind that really might work is the partial block/lot bounded by 7th & 8th, Main & Sycamore.  It would have the ability to open up onto Main St. kitty-corner from the Aronoff's smaller theatre. 

I just thought of this, take it as food for thought.....What about renovating the Emery Theatre for the Playhouse?  I don't know if it would meet their requirements, but it could solve two problems with one shot.

I think the problem with the playhouse is access. Sure they can expand, sure the facility is fine, but parking in mt adam's isn't exactly prime. The playhouse leaving mt adams won't have much of a long term affect, real-estate is gold up there and it would no doubt find a use before it was even empty.

 

The Emery is an excellent idea, I'm not familiar with the facility size though and the playhouse has a few different theatres doesn't it? Still would be a very interesting fit, and good for the neighborhood.

lots more expensive condo's would be my bet

I too am for moving the Playhouse to The Banks. This would result in another party wanting to get the ball rolling on the long delayed riverfront project.

The city could definitely make a ton of money off of it...that location,m 185 parking spaces...could add some retail and restaurant space, add to the mix...that would definitely ameliorate the effect of taking the Playhouse down the hill - but I imagine it such a plan would have a boatload of opposition, since it would be selling parkland to private parties...but good lord, can you imagine what luxury condos on that piece of real estate would bring in?

Ah, I joined the discussion of this on the other thread...

 

I don't know that I agree.  The idea of ransacking one neighborhood for the benefit of another neighborhood isn't a good way to get ahead.  Not that Mt. Adams will be destroyed without the Playhouse, but any means - but just because one community has a lot going for it doesn't mean it's wise policy to redistribute its assets to other communities.

 

I think it's probably a good move for the Playhouse, definitely - a new theatre anchoring the Banks...and it's definitely a good move for the Banks.  But it seems like there's gotta be some way to turn it into a win-win-win situation by replacing it in Mt. Adams with something.  I imagine selling the property to private developers would be strongly opposed by the residents, and by most park-lovers in the city - but what other options might there be?

It would make a great expansion for the park, maybe even some kind of lookout tower/structure since it is probably one of the highest points in Mt. Adams and the views would be sweeeeeeet!

Would definitely need a tower to get up to the good views, but you're definitely right - that would absolutely rock out.  One spot where you could see from Alms Park to Mt. Echo Park...

I thought I would post an article about Playhouse moving to the Banks that was in the Journal today, but then I saw the article was posted on the 14, why does it take Hamilton 3 more days to get the news?

 

I am not in favor of the move, Cincinnati's too big to stuff everything downtown. You already have the Aronoff and the ? across from P&G downtown, so offer another venue in another part of the city. There are many people who only go downtown for the Reds, Bengals and entertainment. How many people would never see Mt. Adams if it wasn't for the playhouse? I know this sounds like an elementary students thinking, but its something to consider. Not that downtown would be a terrible move, but the Banks doesn't sound like a project that needs support from a theater. Like Riverviewer wonders, what would happen in Mt. Adams? Not sure what the Emery is, but the chances that ever sees redevelopment would even be lessened if they move to the Banks and create a vacant, but operational facility in Mt. Adams. Also, Music Hall is seeing redevelopment and Blue Ash is working on some kind of center which makes me wonder about over saturation of performance space.

 

Not sure what the Emery is, but the chances that ever sees redevelopment would even be lessened if they move to the Banks and create a vacant, but operational facility in Mt. Adams

 

The Emery is a mixed use building housing a very nice old theatre that needs some TLC.  The rest of the building was rehabbed into apartments several years ago.  I will try to find some pics of the theatre.

 

 

Here is the apartment portion website.....http://www.emerycenterapts.com/

 

 

Personally I have the mentality that:

 

• Newport brings people to downtown.

 

• Downtown brings people to Newport.

 

• Mt. Adams brings people to Downtown.

 

• Downtown brings people to Mt. Adams.

 

 

Personally, there are nights that I bounce to all three locations in one night. The reason, they are all very close to each other. I don't think Mt. Adams will be hurting for attention. Especially if downtown becomes the best place to spend your night.

Found one....

 

^Beautiful!, but doesn't really fit my image of Playhouses' contemporary artsy feel in the park.

 

^^If you are someone who uses downtown (and by that I mean the Cincinnati riverfront area) for more than events and NOTL, then it doesn't matter where things are located as you may visit all the venues. But if you are the common joe from surburbia (and by that I mean West Chester Township, Mason, Kings, etc.) where you just come into town for the events and the occational NOTL when Kenwood, Union Center, Forest Fair, etc. all have been visited that week, then you will just go to these events or venues with lots of attractions over a parking garage and then drive home. My entire life my family (your typical surburban example) only has gone downtown for things other than an event or show maybe 3 times. Twice to the eat at the Spaggeti Factory and another once at Christmas.

The Banks could well generate an element of excitement that is so desperately needed and missing in Cincinnati today.

 

Who's not excited?

 

I am glad to see he realizes this project will shape the perception of Cincy for years to come. However I am afraid it could be more than a decade before we finally see a completed project. At least by that time, everyone will be bored with NOTL and it will all be office space, thus those shops can relocate to the Banks.

I'm sorry guys, I couldn't resist!

 

Damn! This Banks delay thing is getting way out of hand!

 

(Found this from CIncinnati Transit)

 

"Proposed Rehabilitation Plan for the CIncinnati Riverfront - 1939"

 

 

 

 

:wink:

There will be helicopters--the wave of the future!

 

AHAHAHAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!!

 

Well, I was just reading an article from 1999 in the Cincinnati Business Courier when the Banks was announced as an idea.  I guess this puts it all into perspective.

 

I found some old renderings I had of a riverfront plan prior to The Banks.  The first one is similar to the Banks, but was just a rendering.  The rest were proposed by some developer and the Castellini family (since they owned a large chunk of the land) if I remember correctly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

^Nice finds.  It looks like the top one hails from the era when disgust for the Bengals doomed them to a renovated Riverfront stadium.  If I remember the sequence of events correctly it was Marge Schott's tardiness that allowed the Bengals to claim the western riverfront and deny a riverfront stadium site that would have allowed an orientation toward downtown.  Also, I believe the Race St. bridge was scuttled because the IRS in Covington voiced security concerns.  You can see light rail trains on the rendering.  I'm guessing these are from the mid-90's, before the ill-fated Renfro-Frasier plan, which is the one that immediately predated The Banks. 

I like that little harbor thing between the suspension bridge and Race Street in the first one.  (Just as idea because it's different; it's not that I'd necessarily like it if it were really there.)

The first rendering was commissioned by Gerald Newfarmer in the early 1990s.  He was a former City Manager that did a good job before being ousted by City Council.  He was the city manager of San Jose when they underwent their big boom that catapulted them into being a recognized city.

 

The other models were done by Ratner from up in Cleveland.  He was partnered with Castellini when they owned significant lands along the riverfront.  It may have been a ruse to raise the value of their land before selling to the county.

Playhouse looking for new theater

 

Jerry Stein

Post staff reporter

 

 

It's a good bet that the curtain could rise on a new main theater for the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

 

A feasibility study indicates the Mount Adams theater could expect major donor support should it decide to build a new theater at its home base in Eden Park or become part of the planned riverfront Banks project.

 

Campbell & Co., a Chicago-based consulting firm commissioned by the Playhouse, interviewed 72 potential corporate, foundation and individual donors this year to measure support for a capital campaign to finance a new theater. They like the idea.

 

The report, presented at a meeting of the Playhouse board Wednesday, estimated that it would cost $50 million to build a theater at the Tony Award-winning Playhouse's Eden Park site.

 

The cost would be $70 million to build at the Banks, a development to be located between Great American Ball Park and Paul Brown Stadium on the river bank.

 

Theatre Projects Consultants of South Norwalk, Conn., was hired to provide rough schematic drawings of what a theater complex on the Banks might look like and to make the cost projections.

 

The Banks envisions a mix of residential, recreational and commercial presences in a park-like setting.

 

Playhouse Executive Director Buzz Ward said the study indicated that "within the community the Playhouse is viewed very positively as one of the top cultural assets of the community.

 

 

Again, this is a no-brainer. Put it on The Banks, have Frank Gehry whip something up, watch people flood the riverfront, sell the land in Eden Park, build million dollar homes, Bada Bing!

The giant Ferris Wheel idea... I think they meant to file that one under the "How to Ruin Cincinnati's Skyline" list.  (But a carousel would be okay.)

From the 11/14/05 Cincinnati Business Courier:

 

 

Banking on Butler

Can Bill Butler do for Cincinnati's riverfront what he did for Northern Kentucky?

Lucy May

Senior Staff Reporter

 

It was late 1996, and Bill Butler's Corporex Cos. couldn't secure financing to build RiverCenter II, the company's second office tower on Covington's riverfront. Banks weren't financing speculative office buildings, but Butler believed his company had a winner.

 

Rather than put the project on hold, Corporex bought the steel for the 15-story building itself and began construction -- without a loan.

 

"By raising the steel in the air, we were successful in getting Omnicare to sign," Butler said in 2000. Indeed, the pharmacy services company signed a lease in 1997 to occupy the top three floors of the office tower, moving its corporate headquarters from downtown Cincinnati.

 

"Now that's a sophisticated developer," Butler said. "That's what we call sophisticated."

 

Whether it's developing skyscrapers on spec or suing a friend to collect back rent, William P. Butler doesn't walk away from a fight.

 

 

'His way or no way'

 

But as much as Butler's admirers herald him as a visionary developer, his critics insist he's a bully.

 

"He's a difficult man to deal with," said Bernie Moorman, a former Kenton County commissioner who has clashed with Butler over the years on issues ranging from transportation to a bidding controversy over the county courthouse. "It's his way or no way."

 

Moorman recalls heated meetings over mass-transit issues. Moorman and other transportation planners favored light rail, while Butler insisted elevated rail would be better. He noted that Butler won the support of U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning to try to force the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments to keep studying elevated rail after the group initially rejected the option. Ultimately, Butler and others formed their own group to continue studying elevated rail with the help of federal funds secured by Bunning.

 

 

Tenacious in face of long odds

 

North of the river, Butler is perhaps best known for his Grand Baldwin office development near Eden Park and his involvement in regional debates over mass transit.

 

He built the massive CirclePort International Business Park near the airport in Northern Kentucky. And in Covington, Butler's Corporex will break ground Nov. 16 on The Ascent at Roebling's Bridge. The swirling, upscale condominium tower was designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, who has partnered with Butler on two projects and describes him as a "dream client."

 

More than any of Butler's achievements to date, however, the nearby RiverCenter complex -- with its three office towers, the Marriott and Embassy Suites hotels and the Domaine de la Rive penthouse condominiums where Butler and his wife live -- symbolizes his willingness to take risks.

 

 

Nasty conflict drags on

 

Far quieter, but just as nasty, has been an ongoing legal fight between Butler and Newport developer David Hosea.

 

Corporex's Pioneer Park Associates #2 LLC filed suit against Hosea, the outspoken owner of Covington-based Hosea Worldwide, a diversified services company specializing in industrial moves. The 2002 suit alleged that Hosea failed to pay several months' rent for a warehousing facility in Northern Kentucky.

 

Hosea said in a deposition that he withheld rent because Corporex hadn't paid him for moving Butler's corporate offices from the Baldwin Center to RiverCenter II.

 

No argument, he gets things done

 

Those who have worked with -- and against -- Butler describe him as a tough, hands-on negotiator.

 

Joe Condit, Covington's city solicitor from 1980 to 2000, said Butler negotiated much of his RiverCenter development agreement with the city himself, a process that took more than a year.

 

"It was not an easy process," said Condit, who is now executive director of the Housing Authority of Newport. "But it also was not an easy project."

 

 

No-bid banks process angers many

 

The way in which Smyjunas and Butler were tapped to develop The Banks has raised ire.

 

After weeks of quiet discussions with Butler and Smyjunas, county officials announced in June that they would give the two exclusive rights to develop the riverfront.

 

 

 

© 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.

 

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2005/11/14/story1.html

 

Decent article....with the exception of all those "look across the river" and "Hamilton Cty. needs Butler more than he needs them"  comments.  Those make it sound like nothing has happened in Cincinnati since 1990, get real.  There has been a lot more money spent on the Ohio side, even on the riverfront alone (stadiums and infrastructure).  Granted these are taxpayer financed, but realize that the entire RiverCenter complex is sitting atop City and State owned and funded parking structures, and they are on nowhere near the scale of the Banks.  I don't know why every writer feels the need to stir the pot between NKY and downtown.

Wow, I didn't realize the construction of The Banks could run over the Billion dollar mark. That is crazy!

>hose make it sound like nothing has happened in Cincinnati since 1990, get real.  There has been a lot more money spent on the Ohio side, even on the riverfront alone (stadiums and infrastructure).  Granted these are taxpayer financed, but realize that the entire RiverCenter complex is sitting atop City and State owned and funded parking structures, and they are on nowhere near the scale of the Banks.

 

I've been saying that for years but nobody seems to care.  They're the smallest and just about ugliest pair of 12 and 15 floor buildings imaginable.  Without looking it up, the Enquirer building is probaby bigger than either of them, maybe both of them.  You can't tell me Liebeskind didn't have to constantly bite his tongue about how hideous that development is.     

 

> I don't know why every writer feels the need to stir the pot between NKY and downtown.

 

Because most reporters aren't from Cincinnati and have to find some angle for a story.  I know people who interned for the Enquirer, etc., in college, and these people show up knowing nothing about the city and start writing stories day one.  They put on a face like they understand how things work around here, but when I dropped a few neighborhood names they had no idea where they were.  Editors and precedent give them ideas of what a place is about instead of figuring it out for themselves.

 

Decent article....with the exception of all those "look across the river" and "Hamilton Cty. needs Butler more than he needs them"  comments.  Those make it sound like nothing has happened in Cincinnati since 1990, get real.

 

Kind of like that idiot in the skywalk editorial letter yesterday.  Somehow she reasons that tearing down the skywalk is "losing another one to Northern Kentucky".  WHAT?

I love UrbanOhio people...finally some people that I don't have to hear...."Newport on the Levee is so coooool."  (they mean the glorified mall in the middle of the projects called Newport) or hear someone talk about the old riverboat row and the likes.......N. Ky is nothing (getting better; but still nothing when compared to Cincinnati)  The few success stories they have had (Haufbrauhaus, Cincinnati Aquarium or sorry Newport Aquarium, and possibly the Submarine Museum about the USS Cincinnati are all projects that have been stolen from the Ohio side.

 

Now don't get me wrong I don't hate N.Ky but I do hate dirty business.  I love projects like the Ascent, other redevelopment in Covington, and the new tri-condo towers in Newport.  I just wish the Cincy media would do us all a favor and quit praising N.Ky efforts and projects when all they are really doing is taking state tax incentives and throwing them at any project that can possibly steal from Cincy.

 

Hopefully when The Banks is completed it will finally shut all the local media up about N.Ky......but then again probably not they always find a way to bash Cincy whenever possible. :|

Circle Dec. 7 on your calendar. It should be a local holiday.

Circle Dec. 7 on your calendar. It should be a local holiday.

 

For real!

$250K grant for park on river

 

By Tony Cook

Post staff reporter

 

 

A $30.5 billion federal energy and water appropriations bill passed this week by the U.S. Senate will provide thousands of dollars for local projects.

 

Cincinnati's planned Central Riverfront Park received $250,000 in the bill passed Monday. The park is planned along the Ohio River west of Broadway and east of Interstate 75.

 

It will complement the proposed Banks project, which calls for offices, shops, apartments, condominiums and a hotel on the 15-acre site between the Bengals and Reds stadiums.

 

The money from the energy and water bill will assist the Army Corps of Engineers in the park's design phase, said Dave Prather, supervising architect for the Cincinnati Park Board.

 

The board requested $1 million in February, but Prather said it would have been more surprising to receive that amount than the $250,000.

 

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051117/NEWS01/511170343

Kind of like that idiot in the skywalk editorial letter yesterday.  Somehow she reasons that tearing down the skywalk is "losing another one to Northern Kentucky".  WHAT?

 

I saw that one.  That letter made no sense.  Northern Kentucky does not have a skywalk system that I know of, and most successful down towns do not have a skywalk system.

...and the first 150 feet of a 400-foot fountain near the bridge are envisioned.

 

Man, that sounds bad-ass.

Vision is everything man. Look at Disney World. ;)

That last story is posted in the Central Riverfront Park thread.