Does anyone know the timeframe for those two projects? I know they've been looking for a hotel partner.

^I don't think anyone knows for sure since it's entirely dependent on finding a hotel wanting the space and they're supposedly waiting on the condo market to pick back up before seeking financing for the townhomes. That could be next summer or 5 years from now. We really don't know at this point unfortunately.

Thanks for the info.  I didn't realize a hotel was supposed to go there.  I think that space would be better suited for condos or more apartments and would think that with the Currents being on a wait list that some investor would jump at the opportunity to develop there.

I think one problem with 180 Walnut (the office building) is that it's... so... boring. It's a giant glass box! I think the solution would be to bring Daniel Libeskind in to make the office building look like it's eating The Banks, or look like a bunch of boxes falling onto the Freedom Center. That would get the spot some publicity!  :laugh:

 

http://www.180walnut.com/

I have a buddy who works for the Reds.  He's been telling me lately how incredibly packed they are in the admin building of the stadium.  Some office workers are even using closets, so the rumor is it won't be long before they either build on somewhere within the GAB grounds or rent some of the office space that may eventually be built at the Banks.  They might even be a good tenant for 3CDC's remodel of the buildings at third and main.

3rd & main is going to be residential with storefronts, so I don't think they'll end up there.

Teehee!

 

SUIT: I Love This Bar hasn't paid rent since November

http://www.fox19.com/story/21136797/the-banks-sues-i-love-this-bar-grill-owner-capri-concepts

 

The owner of The Banks in Downtown Cincinnati is suing the owner of one of its restaurants.

 

According to a 250 page lawsuit filled in Hamilton County, the owner of Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill is $231,980 behind on their rent, taxes and utilities.

Teehee!

 

SUIT: I Love This Bar hasn't paid rent since November

http://www.fox19.com/story/21136797/the-banks-sues-i-love-this-bar-grill-owner-capri-concepts

 

The owner of The Banks in Downtown Cincinnati is suing the owner of one of its restaurants.

 

According to a 250 page lawsuit filled in Hamilton County, the owner of Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill is $231,980 behind on their rent, taxes and utilities.

 

The Banks better watch it.  Toby Keith is known to put a boot in the ass.

This doesn't seem like good news to me.  If Toby Keith's--which is a pretty big name--is struggling to bring people downtown, I don't know what will.

 

I still don't understand fully what the Banks is doing (and I live there), for reasons I posted about last year.  There is really nothing to do there on non-game days except drink (which is odd for a place where probably 98% of your customer base has to drive)--and it really feels so separated from the rest of downtown. 

 

That said it is really a place that is best experienced in spring/summer/baseball season, and it's the middle of February, so hopefully this is just winter talking.

It's also I <3 Toby Keith Bar and Grill.

Wow, one would think they are printing cash with the $8 bud lights they serve....

With drink prices like that people will only go there once.

This doesn't seem like good news to me.  If Toby Keith's--which is a pretty big name--is struggling to bring people downtown, I don't know what will.

 

I still don't understand fully what the Banks is doing (and I live there), for reasons I posted about last year.  There is really nothing to do there on non-game days except drink (which is odd for a place where probably 98% of your customer base has to drive)--and it really feels so separated from the rest of downtown. 

 

That said it is really a place that is best experienced in spring/summer/baseball season, and it's the middle of February, so hopefully this is just winter talking.

 

I wouldn't say that Toby Keith's is "struggling to bring people downtown".

 

What we've observed so far is that the places that serve mediocre food at high prices do well during the games, when The Banks is packed, but struggle to attract people during other times.

 

Places like the Lager House are doing well. And I'd expect that Yard House will do well too.

 

As Jake mentioned earlier in this thread, there's a natural amount of turnover that happens with restaurants, bars, and clubs. A decade fron now, 50% of the spaces at The Banks will probably be filled with different businesses than the ones that are there now.

With so many restaurant/ bars opening, the reality is some will close.  I just don't think every single retail space being a bar/grill is sustainable.  The banks/coupled with the park will be a huge positive for Cincy; it already has been infact. I don't think a restaurant closing here or there is a sign of trouble.  What I hope for is some other kind of retail opening in that space.  I think a big positive for the area will be a diversity of retail.  Heck a CVS or Walgreens would be welcome there, IMO.  Your point about feeling seprate from downtown is valid and I think will only be solved by building the in-fills over fort washington way.  I don't think there need to buildings on them.  A creative/productive greenspac would be just fine. 

Didn't the city subsidize or lend them money to open there?

 

I never went there but friends tell me it sucked.  Too many choices nowadays to server mediocre food at high prices.  I'm surprised Johnny Rockets is still there.  Been there twice and it was a complete ripoff.  I think Yard House will do much better.

City & County have The Banks $5.5 million total to attract restaurants. Toby Keith's got $1 million. All the money was in the form of a loan but I've heard the City/County money is third in line if someone defaults. (Or something like that)

Has it even been on a year? People were focused too much on Mahogany.

They may be trying to re-negotiate their lease rate.

CincySAL, Johnny Rockets has always sucked.  Bad food.  The only cool thing about that place is the jukeboxes on the tables(not sure if they still do that).  It won't last.  It was made to look pretty and that's about it.

Toby Keith's has posted a message on their Facebook page saying that they are not in financial trouble, and this is just a dispute between them and their landlord.

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=444996542237922&set=a.227856740618571.55380.121776264559953&type=1&permPage=1

TKILTBAG isn't struggling and every time I see it it's literally jam-packed. The issue here is Tin Roof. Apparently Toby Keith's feels their lease was violated when The Banks brought in a competing country music venue, which Tin Roof sort of is. So the matter is going to court. But, as usual, the negative media in this city took liberties with the story and the "struggling to make it downtown" angle spread like wildfire. Cunningham today was trashing Toby's, saying it was about to close and that it's pretty bad down there when businesses can't hold off another month or so until baseball season. Typical WLW trash.

@AuditorRhodes says: "Now the fun begins. That country bar with a $5.5 million "loan" from City & County is 3 months behind on its rent at The Banks."

 

then: "If the county-western bar is underwater, can the soul-food restaurant that got $1 million from the City of Cincinnati be far behind?"

 

I tell him to stop cheerleading possible failures at The Banks just because he doesn't agree with The Banks and he replies (through a direct message) "Cheerleading nothing. Reality bites."

 

Why do we keep electing him?

Wouldn't rent, etc., be placed in escrow in such a situation?  If it's not in escrow where is the $230,000?  I mean, scan your ATM receipt to put the rumors to rest!

@AuditorRhodes says: "Now the fun begins. That country bar with a $5.5 million "loan" from City & County is 3 months behind on its rent at The Banks."

 

then: "If the county-western bar is underwater, can the soul-food restaurant that got $1 million from the City of Cincinnati be far behind?"

 

I tell him to stop cheerleading possible failures at The Banks just because he doesn't agree with The Banks and he replies (through a direct message) "Cheerleading nothing. Reality bites."

 

Why do we keep electing him?

 

Very few people seem to shy away from taking shots at Mahoghany's.  Completely inappropriate, but if you've been following Ohio politics, which you have, why did Kasich get elected?  Why does Mike Coleman run unopposed?  How is Joseph Deters not in prison? 

 

Ohioans are poorly educated, and the poorly educated are typically too busy trying to survive to sift through the lies that permeate their television and radio.

happened to flip on WLW this morning while driving into work and they were plugging that Chris Smitherman will be on the Scott Sloane show later today discussing the financial failure of The Banks project...

 

Jim Scott later went on to say "Chris Smitherman must be on our payroll, he is always a councilman who shows up"

 

God forbid they ever do some real digging for answers or get two sides of a story before allowing people to spill their opinions over and over again. Frustrating to think that so many people believe 100% of whatever they hear on that station.

Some of these people are insane. Instead of promoting assets you have people getting paid by the city to talk negative about every action they take to improve the city. I wish we could fire council members. They are not doing their jobs. They are not promoting the city in EVERY asset they have. Too much sabotage going on with this city. Why can't the Banks sue Smitherman for slander??

 

Feb 13, 2013, 7:43am EST

Toby Keith’s says the problem is its landlord, not money

Steve Lanier

Staff Business Courier

 

The landlord of the Banks is suing the owner of Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill, but the restaurant’s lawyer said it might be filing a countersuit, Fox 19 reported.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/morning_call/2013/02/toby-keiths-says-the-problem-is-its.html

I can't figure Smitherman out? To me he is a total enigma.  I don't understand how you can be such a budget/fiscal hawk aligning with Coast and support President Obama at the same time. 

I can't figure Smitherman out? To be he is a total enigma.  I don't understand how you can me such a budget/fical hawk aligning with Coast and support President Obama at the same time. 

 

Smitherman is aligned with COAST because they both oppose the Streetcar.  But they oppose it for different reasons.  COAST for anti-gov't spending reasons and Smitherman for anti-gentrification reasons.  I think.

Smitherman is all too easy to figure out: He's a political whore whose only ideology is his own lust for power, and he'll climb into bed with anybody and jump on any bandwagon whose coattails he thinks he can ride. He counts on the fact that his supporters are such low-information voters that they'll be unaware of any inherent contradiction.

Has he ever used anti-gentrification when he has been on WKRC or WLW?  I have not heard that once. Instead he comes off as if he is to the right of Paul Ryan when it comes to budget matters. 

Why doesn't Smitherman ever show up to any of the groundbreakings, events like World Choir Games pressers, or anything positive? Isn't he happy about developments such as dunnhumby, the casino, and things like that. Virtually every other councilmember shows up for those events, why doesn't he?

Has he ever used anti-gentrification when he has been on WKRC or WLW?  I have not heard that once. Instead he comes off as if he is to the right of Paul Ryan when it comes to budget matters. 

 

He doesn't use the anti-gentrification card there because he knows who his audience is.  His stance against the streetcar when he is in an NAACP meeting is anti-gentrification based, though.  I've heard him speak at UC once or twice and he's rather bluntly stated that the streetcar will force blacks out of OTR.

Does anyone have any clue what's being built at the corner of second and Broadway underneath the overpasses?  They are laying out brick pavers, sidewalks, and stone/concrete signage but it seems like a really odd place for something as it's right underneath two pretty low highway overpasses.  I think it is part of the Banks project but could be wrong.

 

link to where I'm talking about:

 

https://www.google.com/maps?q=45202&ll=39.099431,-84.505814&spn=0.001559,0.002411&sll=41.83373290000001,-87.7319639&sspn=0.43393880753837843,0.8793383883430035&t=m&dg=opt&hnear=Cincinnati,+Ohio+45202&z=19&layer=c&cbll=39.099515,-84.505725&panoid=bhqRk8msUfBiiE8qSmTcog&cbp=12,219.65,,0,11.31

I assumed they would make it more formal parking than the dirt lots already there.  They are moving along on the new concrete walkway across to US Bank Arena, which will be a welcome replacement to the last one.

They are laying porous pavers in what will evidently be called the Dumbo (parking) Lot, per Project Executive John Deatrick.

 

 

EDIT: Here is an earlier article on the project: Expect delays around construction work at the Banks through August

They're using porous pavers under a highway overpass that will shelter the pavers from rain? 

 

They're using porous pavers under a highway overpass that will shelter the pavers from rain? 

 

Well, that way they won’t have to worry about them getting wet and then potentially freezing and cracking. It’s a win-win, really.

I am not sure why they don't just pave it? Wouldn't that be more cost effective then laying brick/pavers?

^Yes. But being as ugly as the areas under those overpasses are, mostly due to the vastness of concrete/paving, maybe something different/nicer will help make the area more comfortable to walk through. I'd really like it if the chain link fences all around the area would come down.

^Yes. But being as ugly as the areas under those overpasses are, mostly due to the vastness of concrete/paving, maybe something different/nicer will help make the area more comfortable to walk through. I'd really like it if the chain link fences all around the area would come down.

 

Good point, there is a lot of concrete down there.

That's interesting.  Sure didn't look like a parking lot to me.  They are making it look very nice for a parking lot, especially considering the walkways they are building into it and the signage that is being built.  And if cars are parked there you really won't be able to see too much of the pavers.  Doesn't seem worth the (I presume) added expense.

 

What exactly is a dumbo lot?

^Down Under Main and Broadway?  With an O thrown in to be cute?

I'd guess it's because Ringling Bros. employees setup shop there during the circus.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

Both sound believable.  But Down Under is even more clever.

I wouldn't be surprised if it is a reference to the DUMBO (down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass) neighborhood of Brooklyn, which is also the same neighborhood that has the Brooklyn Bridge Park for which the Jane's carousel is the model for the one cincinnati is now building.

Vantiv is already outgrowing it's 205,000 sf office space in Mason.  Is there enough room for them if they came to the banks in the available office tower not yet built or is it too small an area for them with their rate of expansion?  I'm not sure how much space was dedicated for the office tower portion.  I'm thinking if they were to be enticed to come downtown, the banks just wouldn't be large enough and a tower in another section of downtown would have to be built.  That's if they would even consider the move.

If I remember correctly the tower is slated to be around 250,000 square feet. At least the tower slated for phase 1. I don't know how much bigger/smaller the tower that would be part of phase 2 would be. They appear to be of a similar size.

 

Another thing to remember is that towers also require a larger amount of space dedicated to areas like circulation, restrooms, etc. than large campus style offices due to the larger number of floors. It's possible that the amount of useable space in a tower of 250,000 square feet is actually less than their current building. That being said, space savings can be made through creative design that could mean more people in a smaller space.

Is anything legally binding that tower to a maximum height?  The practical concern would be parking and the profitability of a particular floor plate above a particular height.

^Wasn't that size based on what they expected could be supported by the existing support structure already in place? I thought I heard this but I am not entirely sure that this was ever proven to be true or just people speculating.