Not to get off topic, but I've always thought Shillito Place would be a good spot for something like that. Off of Race Street between 6th and 7th. Throw up a mural at the end of the alley and make a bunch of restaurants with outdoor seating. It could activate that entire quadrant of Downtown.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.10282,-84.515097,3a,75y,264.89h,86.19t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s6KKhiarZ7vis4uCIjw3i4Q!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D6KKhiarZ7vis4uCIjw3i4Q%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D61.929718%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656

I definitely think that a UC law school would be better built somewhere closer to one of the many empty lots near the County Courthouse.  Nevertheless, I don't know why the law school couldn't use one of the the lots across from PBS (3 or 19, I can't clearly read the numbers).  That way they can have a low rise building, and entire lot with a private quad or lawn, and Lot 24 could be used for something better.  Or build on 19 and ask the City to keep Lot 21 clear.

 

When I was on the new school site selection committee at the law school I suggested old SCPA would be a great location. At the time there was no interest for taking the school off campus.

Not to get off topic, but I've always thought Shillito Place would be a good spot for something like that. Off of Race Street between 6th and 7th. Throw up a mural at the end of the alley and make a bunch of restaurants with outdoor seating. It could activate that entire quadrant of Downtown.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.10282,-84.515097,3a,75y,264.89h,86.19t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s6KKhiarZ7vis4uCIjw3i4Q!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D6KKhiarZ7vis4uCIjw3i4Q%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D61.929718%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656

 

Looks like the Cincinnati Athletic Club likes your idea of <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1027524,-84.5155877,3a,64.5y,212.39h,82.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sieTcXRUsUfAUya4_PejfYA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656">streetside dining</a>:

 

A construction crane fell over onto the Race St "bridge":

 

 

Anybody know how that could happen? Aren't cranes meant to be able to resist toppling over? Operator error? Or act of nature?

Yikes! Bad couple of days for cranes, it seems. NYC crane incident last friday was crazy to see.

I was always scared of that kind of stuff back when I drove a forklift.

Hard to tell just from that pic. He is boomed all the way out so it could have been the load or wind or a combo.

Anytime there is an incident like that I always have two questions; first was anyone hurt, and second, was the structure damaged? Anybody have answers to either of those? It has been really windy here today and yesterday so I wouldn't be surprised if that played a factor.

I was about 50 feet away from a guy who flipped a forklift with the forks 20 feet up.  He was idling forward, the brakes seized up, and down he went.  The load basically exploded on impact with the ground...stuff went flying for literally 100 feet.  I turned the corner to see what happened and didn't even recognize what I was looking at because I had never seen the underside of a fork lift!  Anyway, the guy walked away and everyone just laughed about it. 

Are there any updates as to what might be happening with the old Wine Guy (WG) space?  It would seem if there are tenants interested, they'd want to be open before baseball season, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  It really seems we're having a hard time filling these spaces with quality tenants that are able to weather the quiet times.  Also, anything on the old Toby Keith's space? 

Are there any updates as to what might be happening with the old Wine Guy (WG) space?  It would seem if there are tenants interested, they'd want to be open before baseball season, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  It really seems we're having a hard time filling these spaces with quality tenants that are able to weather the quiet times.  Also, anything on the old Toby Keith's space?

 

I would guess potential tenants at this point are going to wait until this time next year to make an announcement since the area should be quite a bit busier on a regular basis.

I vote to split up the large spaces (similar to what they did with Bru Burger's space) and give downtown a second Chipotle and/or a downtown Qdoba. Especially once GE is up and running, there will need to be more fast lunch options down there, and I need more downtown burrito options!

I vote to split up the large spaces (similar to what they did with Bru Burger's space) and give downtown a second Chipotle and/or a downtown Qdoba. Especially once GE is up and running, there will need to be more fast lunch options down there, and I need more downtown burrito options!

 

I wonder if Habeñero would be interested in opening there. They tried opening a second location at Newport on the Levee a few years ago but that didn't work out.

 

On the other hand, weren't we promised a Chipelto Spanish Grill?!

 

Look at that! There is even a young ColDayMan talking with other people in front of Chipelto! (Where was this billboard even at?)

Chipelto is probably holding out due to their problems with F. Cori outbreaks.  :wink2:

The Banks reports that there was no major damage from the crane collapse and crews are back at full speed today.

 

Also, Tana Weingartner from WVXU is reporting that a Tervis store will open at The Banks.

Tervis and BurgerFi are announced:

2 new businesses coming to @TheBanksCincy: Tervis, a drinkware store, and BurgerFi, a burger joint.

 

Also, Tana Weingartner from WVXU is reporting that a Tervis store will open at The Banks.

 

I't s great that a niche retail store is setting up shop there. Will add a different kind of foot traffic to the area.

More info from the Business Courier:

Tervis is opening its second Ohio location in 1,000 square feet at the Banks. The drinkware manufacturer will offer a variety of designs as well as Bengals- and Reds-branded merchandise.

 

"Entering into the Banks puts us in between two great stadiums and will allow us to really show off what great partnerships we have with the Cincinnati teams,” Chad Blankenship, head of Tervis stores, said in a news release.

North Venice, Fla.-based Tervis manufactures microwave-, dishwasher- and freezer-safe insulated drink containers with thousands of designs and licensed branding, including Star Wars, Harley Davidson, Disney, Peanuts and the NFL. It has one other Ohio location in Columbus.

 

BurgerFi will fill 3,500 square feet in the former Wine Guy space. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based company is the fastest-growing better burger chain in the U.S. and is known for its all-natural, hormone-free Angus burgers, fries, frozen custard, signature hot dogs and craft beer.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/02/11/these-are-the-banks-newest-tenants.html?ana=twt

 

I'm not sure which space Tervis will occupy.

Tervis and BurgerFi are announced:

2 new businesses coming to @TheBanksCincy: Tervis, a drinkware store, and BurgerFi, a burger joint.

BurgerFi for a chain is pretty good. I ate there a couple of times when I lived in Ft Lauderdale. I'm assuming Tervis may do well in that area with all the partying?

^ My co-worker just made a comment that Tervis will be popular with people looking to pick up Reds or Bengals merchandise while visiting Cincinnati or just down at The Banks for a game.

I wonder if the Wine Guy space is being split in 2 for both BurgerFi and Tervis? And BurgerFi seems to be a successful chain which is good.

Somewhat underwhelming news when taken by itself, but works well as a piece of a whole....

 

It's funny that anything at the Banks gets trumpeted across the business pages. That doesn't happen for tenants entering and exiting Northgate Mall for example.

When put together with the news of the Louisville southern restaurant, taste of Belgium going in phase 2, the hotel going up, and potentially for UC to add classroom space to add another use to The Banks as a whole the pieces seem to be coming together slowly but surely.

Yes, very good news.  I still think UC should build their law school on one of the many empty lots downtown and we go for a much higher use at the Banks, but oh well.

 

Honestly, I am ready for the Banks to be fully built out and occupied.  I enjoy the Banks, but it seems politically the top priority of the city and county to fill up the Banks.  I think once it is all filled in, the administration can really start pushing for the inner downtown development.  Of course, they may "add" to the Banks by completing caps over FWW at some point soon.

 

On another note, I wonder if GE will become open to putting a pot of money into 3CDC to further downtown development to help their recruiting?  It seems plausible they would IMO.  *If they already have done so, excuse my ignorance

It's no Chipotelo, but more good news for The Banks.  I'm really happy to see something from 4EG here.  They know how to do it.  I also think this will be a nice new more upbeat option.  Looking forward to checking it out.

 

The group is bringing a new concept called The Stretch to the former Johnny Rockets space at 191 Freedom Way in Phase I of the Banks development. The venue, which will include a bar and entertainment space featuring local and national DJs, is scheduled to open this summer.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/02/18/4eg-bringing-new-bar-to-the-banks.html

Does anyone know anymore about a marina? Is that still being studied or considered or is it dead?

 

 

It's still a thing. All reports I've heard make it sound like getting Army Corps of Engineers approval isn't an easy process but that it will eventually happen along with the lower riverwalk.

It's less of a "marina"... and more of a "dock" where you could keep your boat for up to 10 days (as opposed to a "marina" where you store a boat all season/year). It will provide transient dock space at the base of the Main St steps. Here's an article from last May with some details on the dock project: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/smale/2015/05/02/dock-dog-park-still-plan-riverfront-park/26471103/

 

At the bottom of the Main Street steps, planners envision a place where visitors can tie up their boats, stay up to 10 days and enjoy the city. Each space would have electric and sewage hook-ups. The plan calls for the installation of a concession stand, laundry and bathrooms. The cost to tie-up has not yet been determined.

 

The dock would be constructed to stay in the water year-round, with features that would divert ice and debris and withstand floods, said Steven Schuckman, superintendent of planning and design for the Cincinnati Parks Department. This addition would cost about $3 million, and the parks department has until the summer to secure $1.2 million to fund it. Federal and state governments have pledged $1.8 million toward the project, mostly in the form of a boating infrastructure grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and about $330,000 in the form of a dredging grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

^ Oh that sounds sweet

The GE meatball installation is underway and the Radius office looks to be opening soon:

So are any of those apartments outfitted with non-GE appliances?  Light bulbs?

Seeing Freedom Way on that sign reminds me how much I dislike it. We need grassroots to change it to Pearl Street.

New signs:

Seeing Freedom Way on that sign reminds me how much I dislike it. We need grassroots to change it to Pearl Street.

 

Yeah, it's idiotic. 

 

...someone at Tervis needs to hire a new branding designer....

 

Also, the text on the Radius sign isn't centered on the panel. Which looks like a mistake since that minimal style relies heavily on centering of text.

...someone at Tervis needs to hire a new branding designer....

 

Also, the text on the Radius sign isn't centered on the panel. Which looks like a mistake since that minimal style relies heavily on centering of text.

 

+2

...someone at Tervis needs to hire a new branding designer....

 

Also, the text on the Radius sign isn't centered on the panel. Which looks like a mistake since that minimal style relies heavily on centering of text.

 

+2

 

 

 

More details for UC Law school at the Banks

 

Anyone have access beyond the paywall?

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/03/30/more-details-emerge-on-ucs-potential-law-school.html

110,000-125,000 sqft. 4-6 stories. $76M. Start in spring 2017, end in spring 2019.

Is this a done deal or still speculative?

Very much speculative. Board of Trustees still has to sign off on it, but the details were generated from an RFQ the University put out.

So probably nothing like that rendering then.

...someone at Tervis needs to hire a new branding designer....

 

I bet that font is called "huggable" or something cute...maybe "cutesy."

So I'm going to go ahead and say that if they are given the entirety of that block to work with and they only build 110,000-125,000 square feet of space that we should protest their move. The block GE and Radius are on has many times that much square footage.

 

GE's new building alone has 400,000 square feet. I've never seen an official square footage number attached to Radius but I'd imagine it's around 300,000 square feet. So on two nearly identical blocks (in terms of size) we would have one with thousands of square feet of retail, 2,000 workers in a 400,000 square foot building, and 450 or so residents in a 300,000 square foot building and on the other block we'd have less than 1,000 students and teachers in a 110,000-125,000 square foot building that are studying a subject area that barely allows for free time meaning very little street activity between students coming and going to classes, the library, etc.

 

One of these is a significantly better use of space than the other.

The article mentioned they are studying 'several sites' at the banks for the location, so I wonder if another option could be the location west of radius. If they do choose the site south of GE/radius then it would be better if they made the building taller/narrower and take up half of the block and then the other half could be residential/office.

If they integrated their building into a larger block so that the block could still have other uses such as residential and office use then that would be the best option. Their preliminary massing they showed has a building of similar height to the GE building abutting the new law building which would be great. That type of integration is the type of construction I'd like to see to ensure the public investment at The Banks is utilized to its fullest.

I realize that financially this might not be fiesable, but I'd love to see it go on one of the caps. Those have I think 4 story height limits anyways so we won't get great density out of those spaces.

At 6 stories, the 125,000 sq ft would only need a footprint of 21,000 sq feet. At 4 stories, it would need a footprint of 32,000 sq ft. I looked at the size of the parcels to get a sense of how much space that would take up, and I can't even envision how somebody could stretch to fill an entire block with that small of a building space... so I'm assuming that UC and The Banks recognize that this will have to be integrated into a larger full-block plan.

 

That would be an amazing way to start those off, but unfortunately I think we're at least a decade away from that being a necessity. This type of development would be perfect for them though. They already have a low height limit like you said, so why not put something smaller there and leave The Banks for projects that will be built up to the height limit on those blocks to make the most use of the space.