July 4, 201212 yr Dear lord people- apparently everyone gets defensive when you bring up the cardinals. Since you all asked my point: Gr8Cities said its unrealistic to expect a small market team to be able to get good attendence on hot summer weekdays. My only point was, Attendence Goes waaayyyy beyond market size and hot weekdays. I'm incredibly familiar league attendence trends- and small market teams can do amazing and big market teams can be an embarrassment- there are a million reasons behind this that go Beyond just saying - oh well it's hot and we're a small market so we can't expect to sell out weekdays. Our attendence is doing great this year, compare it to 2005 and you'll see how far we've come, but we can and will get higher attendence as people get more excited about the team and our market size won't inhibit that.
July 4, 201212 yr And with that, I think we're off topic. So, about the Banks, it looks as though they won't be starting construction this summer. Kind of disappointing.
July 10, 201212 yr Paul Daugherty's column in the Enquirer calling for Cincinnati to get the 2015 All-Star Game (and some subtle jabs at Cincinnati too): http://news.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20120709/COL03/307090053/2015-All-Star-game-needs-Cincinnati
July 10, 201212 yr ^Nice pics! By the way, I'm not sure if this has been posted yet, but the Banks website is saying that phase 2 construction will begin in the 4th quarter of 2012. http://thebankscincy.com/development-opportunities/phase-two.aspx
July 10, 201212 yr ^^Thanks for the pics jmecklenborg. Has anyone heard word on the hotel?! Any movement on this front? I know I am getting ahead of myself by moving toward aesthetics but I hope that it differentiates itself a bit from the "warm brick" of Current... *Also not to be picky but could someone give me insight on why the City/The Banks used those street lamps? I don't neccessarily hate them, but man they are inefficient in light distribution, they give off a lot of glare, they do not look modern/contemporary, and they are not LED? So? If anything they are interesting but they also don't say Cincinnati to me.
July 10, 201212 yr I seem to remember the posts that form the water curtains were topped with a canopy like structure in the renderings for the park. Does anyone know if there are plans to add that still? I think the poles look sort of stupid sticking way up in the air while contributing no purpose.
July 10, 201212 yr A buddy of mine who I think is pretty reliable has told me that the Banks have a huge financing gap on anything moving forward. Apparently banks won't support The Banks as it's "too risky" and they prefer financing larger suburban style developments (which they can own after they go under- see Newport Pavillion). Frustrating.
July 10, 201212 yr ^I would not find this surprising...this is a natiionwide problem. And my guess is that even "suburban style" projects are going to have problems without tons of equity and many creative bridge loans.
July 10, 201212 yr http://cincinnati.com/blogs/developingnow/2012/07/10/yard-house-construction-to-begin/ "Yard House, the newest restaurant to join the Banks development, will begin to rise this month on the plot of Freedom Way facing the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. "Boston-based Shawmut Design and Construction is managing the 13,000-square-foot construction project, scheduled to be complete next spring. MBH Architects of Alameda, Calif. has designed the building. "Like the L.A. chain’s 37 other restaurants around the country, Yard House will have an urban and industrial vibe, with a large outdoor area and center bar with hundreds of craft beers on tap." How do they get hundreds of beers on tap? :-o
July 10, 201212 yr A buddy of mine who I think is pretty reliable has told me that the Banks have a huge financing gap on anything moving forward. Apparently banks won't support The Banks as it's "too risky" and they prefer financing larger suburban style developments (which they can own after they go under- see Newport Pavillion). Frustrating. These must be Cincinnati banks. Go to Chicago, Atlanta or New York if you want financing that understands urban development. I doubt this is true though (unless they are Cincy banks), there is a large demand for apartments and doing any kind of run on the numbers as well as the how quickly phase one sold should be an indicator that this is low risk.
July 10, 201212 yr ^^^^ Long hoses. ^^ The goddamn banks always be holding up the goddamn Banks. On a serious note, big city banks are not exactly progressive, either. They still loooove parking.
July 10, 201212 yr http://www.mbharch.com/work/restaurants/yardhouse/index.htm The architect. Good looking interiors, most of the exteriors are a bit disappointing though. Notice, however, none seem to have decks or patios. They have said the Cincy one will have a large patio so this should (probably) help humanize the exterior.
July 10, 201212 yr Any word on which side of the Yard House building the Dumpsters and loading area are going to be? I know this issue was raised a couple of weeks ago by the design board, which wasn't thrilled about that facing Freedom Way.
July 10, 201212 yr Any word on which side of the Yard House building the Dumpsters and loading area are going to be? I know this issue was raised a couple of weeks ago by the design board, which wasn't thrilled about that facing Freedom Way. The building needs four fronts, so it’s going to be a tough design situation wherever it ends up being. The view of a service entrance and even a dumpster or two can be shielded pretty easily, but the smell can’t. It’s going to come down to frequent service intervals being in a contract somewhere, I think.
July 10, 201212 yr I seem to remember the posts that form the water curtains were topped with a canopy like structure in the renderings for the park. Does anyone know if there are plans to add that still? I think the poles look sort of stupid sticking way up in the air while contributing no purpose. I think they will have a canopy west of the Roebling bridge with the swings. I noticed those tall poles above the waterfalls actually light up at night and they change color with the waterfalls. I was critical of these at first, but I have to admit they look pretty cool at night.
July 10, 201212 yr Where do all the grizzled cooks and dish washers smoke? I’m sure smoking will eventually be banned in the entirety of The Banks. Fountain Square was just the first step. They will all have to walk 30' out over the Ohio River on the Roebling in order to smoke.
July 10, 201212 yr Where does the Lager House have their dumpsters? Hidden by a garage door on the lowest level, facing Main at corner of Mehring. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
July 11, 201212 yr Ram, I didn't know that smoking was banned at FS. Yesterday, I was surprised to overhear one of the Securitas guards telling a man that smoking was not allowed at Washington Park.
July 11, 201212 yr Ram, I didn't know that smoking was banned at FS. Yesterday, I was surprised to overhear one of the Securitas guards telling a man that smoking was not allowed at Washington Park. According to the Park Rules: Smoking and tobacco use are prohibited in the following areas: Dog Park, Playground, Musical Fountain, Bandstand Area, Music Hall Plaza, and Civic Lawn.
July 11, 201212 yr ^ Does that list actually exclude anywhere in the park? Sure. The southernmost third of the park as well as the corners, garage, restrooms, and the northernmost grassy areas near the NW and NE corners of the park. Not much but there is more than it originally sounds. I'm glad it's mostly smoke-free. --- sorry for being off topic
July 11, 201212 yr Ram, I didn't know that smoking was banned at FS. Yesterday, I was surprised to overhear one of the Securitas guards telling a man that smoking was not allowed at Washington Park. According to the Park Rules: Smoking and tobacco use are prohibited in the following areas: Dog Park, Playground, Musical Fountain, Bandstand Area, Music Hall Plaza, and Civic Lawn. So dipping's banned too. O, the sheer terror that someone with a dip in can unleash on bystanders.
July 11, 201212 yr For your safety in the children's play area: "All adults must be accompanied by a child"
July 11, 201212 yr Basically, it sounds like they banned smoking in the parts of the park that people actually park themselves and hang out in. i'm just wondering how they'll enforce and communicate it. I think I'd be unsurprised if some of the Smale park goes smoke free, but I'm betting the actual streets of the Banks won't, since those are spaces focused on movement, not hanging out.
July 11, 201212 yr I actually just saw a new sign on Fountain Square explaining the new policy. It was a standup sign kind of like the one below. I should have taken an actual picture of it though... I agree that some of Smale may become smoke free. Most likely the event lawn and any other place where "events" will take place like the civil lawn in Washington Park or Fountain Square in general. The more passive parts will probably allow smoking similar to Washington Park. I also can't imagine the bars around the Banks would ever stand for prohibiting smoking in the Banks (sidewalks, etc).
July 11, 201212 yr Snus even? What about Fun Dip? The way it's written, people can't even use that snuff people put up their nose.
July 12, 201212 yr http://www.mbharch.com/work/restaurants/yardhouse/index.htm The architect. Good looking interiors, most of the exteriors are a bit disappointing though. Notice, however, none seem to have decks or patios. They have said the Cincy one will have a large patio so this should (probably) help humanize the exterior. I have been to the Yard House in Vegas in the Red Rocks Casino. Red Rocks is a very nice casino in the Vegas burbs that is frequented by mostly locals. The Yard House is connected to the casino, but mostly is accessed from the street. Very nice place. Great beer selection and pretty good food. The place was packed with after-work people on a week night.
July 12, 201212 yr i think a place like Chi-nnati's would do great at the Banks. different from all the American fares, great pizza, good price, good beer list, and very kid friendly.
July 14, 201212 yr How do they get hundreds of beers on tap? :-o Getting the beers on tap isn't the problem. The problem is the massive amount of cooler space you need to fit all those kegs. I'm guessing most of them will be craft beers in quarter-kegs, but that's still a lot of space.
July 16, 201212 yr The Banks had to do wonderful business this past week with the Reds game and the Choir games.
July 16, 201212 yr The Banks had to do wonderful business this past week with the Reds game and the Choir games. Don't forget the three-day Bunbury Festival and maybe even some stragglers from the Queen City Sausagefest held on Newport's riverfront who made their way across the river. The Reds had sellouts on Friday and Sunday nights and more than 37,000 on Saturday for a three-game series attendance figure over 117,000. The Reds are in town for the next week and then the Bengals start their training camp - open to the public - at PBS for the first time. It's a great time to be a business at The Banks.
July 16, 201212 yr The crowds this past weekend were ridiculous. There were no restaurants with less than a 45-minute wait on Saturday during the Reds game. Also, I saw the Banks garage completely fill, and a parking attendant and police officer had to work backing vehicles out of the garage that had cued to go in. I'm ready to hear a talk radio host complain "they didn't build enough parking".
July 21, 201212 yr I went through Cincinnati not long ago, and noticed The Banks were being constructed...was quite surprised it is actually happening!
July 21, 201212 yr It's Summit Street! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 22, 201212 yr I went through Cincinnati not long ago, and noticed The Banks were being constructed...was quite surprised it is actually happening! Hey Summit!
July 23, 201212 yr How do they get hundreds of beers on tap? :-o Getting the beers on tap isn't the problem. The problem is the massive amount of cooler space you need to fit all those kegs. I'm guessing most of them will be craft beers in quarter-kegs, but that's still a lot of space. This guy I know just tweeted a picture of the cooler of another Yard House location. Looks pretty massive: http://instagram.com/p/NXsKhxTES7/
July 24, 201212 yr That's ridiculous. So many kegs inevitably creates waste and I'd hate to work there and be stuck handling that many kegs.
July 29, 201212 yr This guy I know just tweeted a picture of the cooler of another Yard House location. Looks pretty massive: http://instagram.com/p/NXsKhxTES7/ Anyone else reminded of this....?
July 30, 201212 yr Banks developers to host info session on next bid package Business Courier by Kevin LeMaster, Editor and Publisher of Building Cincinnati The Banks Public Partnership is holding an information session for construction contractors interested in working on the project Tuesday evening from 5 to 7 at the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency, located at 1740 Langdon Farm Road in Bond Hill. The partnership will provide a construction update, detail upcoming bid packages and discuss the process by which contractors can become certified as a disadvantaged business enterprise. Part two of the next bid package, Bid Package No. 12, will be out for bid later this fall. Continuing the infrastructure improvements, elements will include a John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge pedestrian connector, extension of the river walk along Mehring Way, and a pedestrian bridge at Broadway and East Pete Rose Way. Cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
August 1, 201212 yr Anyone been to Mahogany's yet? I've walked by a couple of times since it's been open and it looks like it's doing some nice business. Though, before the Reds game on Monday night the Holy Grail patio was slammed with people while Mahogany's and Johnny Rockets were much less so.
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