May 15, 200916 yr Banks on schedule, officials say By Lisa Bernard-Kuhn, Cincinnati Enquirer, May 15, 2009 Construction remains on schedule for The Banks and top officials with Hamilton County and Cincinnati say they're pleased with the progress of the nearly $1 billion riverfront project.
May 15, 200916 yr Banks on schedule, officials say By Lisa Bernard-Kuhn, Cincinnati Enquirer, May 15, 2009 Once completed in a decade, The Banks will include 17 acres of commercial, retail, office and entertainment space and a 40-acre park. In all, Cincinnati and Hamilton County have committed to spending more than $100 million for new roads and public infrastructure improvements, excluding the park. A decade? From now? WTF damn that's slow! Someone explain this?
May 15, 200916 yr ^ I believe they're talking about the ENTIRE Banks project, ie phase I, the riverfront park, and all future phases (those that will be by Paul Brown).
May 15, 200916 yr Banks on schedule, officials say By Lisa Bernard-Kuhn, Cincinnati Enquirer, May 15, 2009 Once completed in a decade, The Banks will include 17 acres of commercial, retail, office and entertainment space and a 40-acre park. In all, Cincinnati and Hamilton County have committed to spending more than $100 million for new roads and public infrastructure improvements, excluding the park. A decade? From now? WTF damn that's slow! Someone explain this? That's no secret! Whether they started this in '99 or '09, they have always said it COULD take up to a decade for complete build out.
May 16, 200916 yr LOL...that's ridiculous. Darn thing must be built based on demand then? If they had the money why not get it built right now? What all projects they have going that it would take 10 years to complete. Most of the buildings they are going to build down there are not over 26 floors so that should take no more than a year to complete each, and can't they do more than one thing at a time. Well, regardless of which it is still good that they will have steady construction jobs down there for at least 10 years.
May 16, 200916 yr I think I get it now. The thing they are creating now is like the "foundation" for the whole banks project and that will be created by 2010. The buildings and stuff will be in due time but hopefully built by 2020? I'm sorry I have not been following the banks project very long.
May 16, 200916 yr What they are building now is the parking garage for phase 1 of the development. This infrastructure allows for the development to be lifted out of the flood plain and supply necessary parking spaces. By 2010 all of phase 1 will be complete which includes the two blocks nearest Great American Ballpark and the half block in front of the Freedom Center. Phase 1 includes the parking garages, new streets, 70,000 square feet of retail space, 300 apartments and the large office tower shown in the renderings if a tenant is signed. The ten year time line is for the completion of the total $1 billion dollar project that will eventually have thousands of new residential units, hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail and office and 1 or 2 hotels. On top of that you have the new Central Riverfront Park that is also being built in phases in conjunction with the construction of The Banks. The first phase of the CRP is underway and will also be completed around the same time as phase 1 of The Banks.
May 18, 200916 yr Mallory touting The Banks in Vegas http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090518/BIZ01/905190340/1055/NEWS/Mallory+touting+The+Banks+in+Vegas Deal makers with The Banks development and Mayor Mark Mallory are attending a national convention this week Las Vegas in hopes of lure prospective retailers to Cincinnati's riverfront....
May 20, 200916 yr Some great photos and videos of some recent construction activity at the site: http://5chw4r7z.blogspot.com/2009/05/banks-big-pour.html
May 20, 200916 yr will that all be a massive slab of concrete? There will be slabs that make up the parking garage, and then a final top slab that will actually become the new street level. This is in order to lift the buildings out of the flood plane. The top of what you see in the construction photos will technically be the new "ground level" of the buildings, and they will essentially be even with Second Street.
May 20, 200916 yr Rhodes Blasts Banks Hamilton County Auditor calls The Banks "an expensive, editorial board driven obsession." By 700WLW News Wednesday, May 20, 2009 http://700wlw.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=119585&article=5492369 ( Hamilton County ) - Auditor Dusty Rhodes has come out strongly against The Banks. Rhodes issued a statement today, saying Hamilton County is having a very tough time meeting Ohio-mandated obligations, and to spend money to build The Banks is a "desperate attempt to do whta the market says should not be done."...
May 20, 200916 yr Someone tell Dusty the Contract with America was back in 1994. It's the stadium deal that is killing the county, and the fact that people aren't buying retail as much as they once were. But I guess the way they would do it in Delhi is build two stadiums with tow pits in the ground and leave it at that.
May 20, 200916 yr Why does he keep calling it a City Economic Development project? The County took it over, it is in both the City and the County, and I bet tax wise the county stands to reap more from it than the City. What is with the sour grapes???? Maybe he is on the Leslie Ghiz platform!
May 20, 200916 yr The County, not the City, sold the Hamilton County taxpayers on the idea that the sales tax would pay for both stadiums and a riverfront community known as "The Banks." That is a promise to the taxpayers and I'm sure there were many voters county-wide that voted for the sales tax increase because of the riverfront community and not the two stadiums. The good thing is that this statement carries no weight, the bad thing is that his political grandstanding is once again coming at the expense of our center city and the overall image of our region to outsiders.
May 21, 200916 yr Looks good down there. So much going on in downtown Cincinnati! Great! Good to see in this horrible economy. When this recession finally ends, we're going to see a big boom in businesses downtown and hopefully in the "riverfront district" lol aka The Banks.
May 21, 200916 yr Without the PBS cost overruns, the Banks garages would have been there by now, so their pitch to taxpayers was reasonable at the time. Unfortunately the city can be "blamed" for the overruns because it was the city that insisted on the stadium being built where it is instead of closer to Vine St. Litigation over that extra property caused a critical construction delay that caused the stadium to be built using lots of overtime labor.
May 21, 200916 yr ^I'm not saying you are wrong, but I honestly thought it was Bedinghaus of the County Commission that pitched Brown on the western site, and threw in the practice fields next door as sweetener.
May 21, 200916 yr I am fine with PBS being as far west as possible, more room for other uses and money well spent, it could abut the CWB bridge for all I care, but the riverfront is much better off with the stadium where it is.
May 21, 200916 yr Crews to Pour New Street at The Banks Press Release Cincinnati, OH (May 21, 2009) – Construction crews will pour the City’s newest street, Freedom Way, at The Banks construction site during the early hours of Friday morning. Set to begin at approximately 1 a.m., the Freedom Way pour is indicative of the cooperation that’s making the project possible. "This project is expected to generate $600 to $800 million in private investment – which will forever change the front door to this County while creating jobs at a tough economic time. It is an investment in the future of our city, county and the region," said Hamilton County Commission President David Pepper. “Without Hamilton County’s investment in the garage, the City wouldn’t be able to build the street,” said John Deatrick, The Banks project executive for the City and the County. “And without the garage and street, we wouldn’t have been able to bring in Carter and Dawson to make this public investment an opportunity for economic development.” Deatrick described the cooperation among the City, County, Carter and Dawson as the linchpin that keeps the project progressing. “We’re on budget, we’re on schedule, and we’re thankful that all parties are able to work together to ensure the success of The Banks,” said Deatrick. Freedom Way will sit upon The Banks parking garage and span the length of the riverfront development from Paul Brown Stadium to Great American Ball Park. The new street will be finished this summer but will not be open to the public until construction on the retail and residential components of Phase 1A are complete. The Banks is a joint City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Carter, Dawson project and will benefit the entire region. Once completed, The Banks will be Cincinnati’s largest single, mixed-use development, composed of a dynamic blend of residential, office, hotel and retail components. Phase 1A of the riverfront development is under construction and will include a revised street grid, a parking facility, a minimum of 300 apartments and 70,000 square feet of retail. PHOTO OP: Construction crews will pour 1,200 yards of concrete throughout the night, beginning approximately at 1 a.m. and ending in the early hours of the morning. WHERE: 10 East Mehring Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202 (Best views from 2nd Street) WHEN: Friday, May 22, 1 a.m. (approximately) concrete pour begins
May 22, 200916 yr The problem with Dusty is he has no clue about investing for future profits. He lives in the "now" and sees The Banks as the devil. These advocates are eating their own words because once The Banks is built and the economy recovers, guess what people...The Banks will already be built and waiting to bring in the people;)
May 22, 200916 yr Wow. That was thinly-veiled in a refreshing way. Usually something like this would be more passive-aggressive.
May 22, 200916 yr To some degree, the Auditor's job is to be the guy who says no. Agreed. He's also hedging his liability because if The Banks winds up being successful, no one will remember this little rant. If The Banks ends up being a flop, he can say, "Look! I warned them about this way back in 2009!" Ultimately, only time will tell whether The Banks will be a success or not. I'm sure the County Commissioners don't appreciate being called out though...
May 22, 200916 yr To some degree, the Auditor's job is to be the guy who says no. I'd say the weasel-words and pragmatic inferences went a little further than that.
May 22, 200916 yr I have a hard time believing The Banks won't be successful. All of my life I have heard people saying they wish Cincy could be as cool as Chicago or at least have something cool downtown. This is the beginning of that dream and people will go to it. We've been itching for downtown to get something that draws people there. Fountain Sq is already doing it and just imagine what the banks will do. HOPEFULLY!
May 22, 200916 yr I'm confident that The Banks will be very successful. Due to the recession, though, it may take a while longer reach that level of success than originally planned.
May 22, 200916 yr Very true. But isn't it great that we can walk by there and not see a mud pit? fantastic!
May 22, 200916 yr I wish we could see the site via web cam. The original disappeared, and Carter?Dawson gave me a vague reply to my question, by saying that "sometime" they will have a webcam at the site.
May 22, 200916 yr To some degree, the Auditor's job is to be the guy who says no. The thing is, Dusty hates the City. He hates it. He hates anything associated with it. He says he hates taxes, etc., but he really just hates anything that goes to people who live in the City. I say this because that's what he'll tell you when you talk to him. It's a pretty typical conceit, that the City doesn't count as part of the City because... well, no one ever explains why that is. And no one ever has any problems with City revenues paying for things out in the County, like, roads and law enforcement. Also, Dusty is a Yankees fan. I wonder if he has any problems with all the federal money that went to pay for their new billion dollar stadium. Like too many local politicians (and Chabot was the worst at this), they don't do anything about decreasing tax burden for real but they are all over making sure that no investment comes to the area.
May 22, 200916 yr There is one non-city entity that can get Dusty's panties in a bunch as well. He shows no love for that little westside school district in which he resides. :-D
May 22, 200916 yr Video of the large concrete pour last night: http://www.wlwt.com/video/19536299/ Video of the walking tour through the construction from site last week: http://www.wlwt.com/video/19475311/
May 22, 200916 yr Video of the large concrete pour last night: http://www.wlwt.com/video/19536299/ Video of the walking tour through the construction from site last week: http://www.wlwt.com/video/19475311/ Damn, channel 5 is on it!
May 22, 200916 yr I wish they would do a better job explaining things than just saying, "The Banks is going to cost the taxpayers a whole lot of money!" and "We're going to be paying for it for a long, long time."
May 23, 200916 yr "The problem with Dusty is he has no clue about investing for future profits." On the contrary, he clearly states that he thinks The Banks is a money loser. The Banks will cost the county more than it earns.
May 25, 200916 yr I'm hearing from one of the site workers that a section actually settled to the point they may have to redo that section. Minor glitch if need be, but a headache for those on site, I'm sure.
May 26, 200916 yr First street poured at The Banks http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2009/05/first-street-poured-at-banks.html On Friday morning, construction crews poured part of the first street to be constructed since ground was broken for The Banks in April. The 1,200 yards of poured concrete serve as the structural deck for Freedom Way, the project's main commercial street. Freedom Way will sit upon The Banks parking garage and span the length of the riverfront development from Paul Brown Stadium to Great American Ball Park. "Without Hamilton County's investment in the garage, the City wouldn't be able to build the street,” said John Deatrick, The Banks project executive for the City and the county. "And without the garage and street, we wouldn't have been able to bring in Carter and Dawson to make this public investment an opportunity for economic development. Several more pours will be required to complete the roadway. The new street will be finished this summer, but will not be open to the public until construction of Phase 1A, consisting of up to 300 apartments and 70,000 square feet of retail, is complete. "We're on budget, we're on schedule, and we're thankful that all parties are able to work together to ensure the success of The Banks," Deatrick said.
May 27, 200916 yr From my understanding the flood control works as follows: The Central Riverfront Park gradually works up away from the river until it reaches a steep incline. At this point there will be flights of stairs that lead up to the street level of The Banks. That height difference provides the area in which the parking garages are located. So when the river floods, the Central Riverfront Park will be flooded up to the staircases and that wall of sorts. Here is an illustration that shows some of the initial gradual incline up away from the river: And this shows the wall and one of the staircases that will lead up to ground level of The Banks - you can see Vine Street (I think) in the background here.
May 27, 200916 yr After just spending some time in Millenium Park in Chicago this weekend, I am really excited for the Central Riverfront Park. This park could be a destination even without the Banks, and I hope construction will start on it soon. I know they have had their formal ground breaking, but I don't see much activity down there.
May 27, 200916 yr Thanks for that explanation. I hear they're giving us more plans on this in the morning....per WCPO.
May 27, 200916 yr so if/when the streetcar gets built are they just going to have to tear up this street again to redo it with tracks?
May 27, 200916 yr After just spending some time in Millenium Park in Chicago this weekend, I am really excited for the Central Riverfront Park. This park could be a destination even without the Banks, and I hope construction will start on it soon. I know they have had their formal ground breaking, but I don't see much activity down there. The plans have no where near the creativity or dynamics of Millenium Park
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