6 minutes ago, seaswan said:

Honestly the banks may be better than otr (in the summer) in terms of entertainment, because all the bars/restaurants feel very open and airy, which is perfect for summer weather. Just my opinion though.

 

The banks is more condensed for bar hopping and parking is fairly convienent and straight forward as well compared to otr.

 

I think the banks is at a really neat spot right now..I think if they get the music venue going, along with the future banks phases with more entertainment/retail options, continue to add on to smale river front park with the new boat pier, and the new larger and landscapes ferris wheel and all of sudden you have a legit 24 hour Destination (well as 24 hours as a Cincinnati neighborhood can get).

 

It might sound stupid but the ferris wheel did alot for the banks and it's revival in popularity 

1) Its unbelievable that they didn't jump on that proposal for the Apartment building just south of GE.  We're not going to get another office tower like we did with GE.  The group that proposed the apartments and retail space knows what the Banks needs, because they all already own/manage property at the banks.  This was a no-brainer.  This project could be halfway built by now

 

2) I still can't believe they picked MEMI over the group that originally wanted to build the music venue.  Again that could be getting started right now, instead its getting built across the river

 

3) per #2, I know that supposedly the reason the MEMI music venue can't move forward is they have to relocate the concrete plant so the Bengals can have a tailgating lot.  This is ridiculous.  a) tailgaiting isn't a huge thing at bengals games, not compared to other NFL cities, b) it only happens 8 times a year, so dedicating prime land for it is insane  c) THE ONLY REASON FANS TAILGATE IN THE FIRST PLACE IS BECAUSE MOST STADIUMS ARE SURROUNDED BY VAST SEAS OF SURFACE PARKING LOTS.  If instead your stadium is surrounded by an awesome mixed use neighborhood with restaurants and bars, guess what, fans will just go to those establishments instead.   I am sure if someone really wanted to, they could figure out a legal way to tell the bengals to shove off about their stupid tailgating.   But Katie Blackburn is on the steering committee, so clearly the bengals will keep getting whatever they want.

 

4)  I suppose the skystar is better than a useless piece of grass, but the lot south of the Freedom center desperately needs a mixed use building on it.  That lot plus the freedom center create a dividing line between phase 1 and phases 2-3 of the banks.  Kills the flow of the whole "neighborhood".   If the freedom center had any interaction with the street, it wouldn't be so bad, but it is built like a fortress.  

 

The Banks had so much potential, but its just been one face palm after another.  They should give 3CDC control, at least they would actually get something done.

I agree on the ridiculousness of the whole tailgating issue. We are going to move heaven and earth so that people from Brown County can drink Bud Lights out of an Igloo cooler in a parking lot 8 days per year instead of spending money at an actual business near the stadium that generates tax revenue for the city and county.

21 minutes ago, JoeHarmon said:

1) Its unbelievable that they didn't jump on that proposal for the Apartment building just south of GE.  We're not going to get another office tower like we did with GE.  The group that proposed the apartments and retail space knows what the Banks needs, because they all already own/manage property at the banks.  This was a no-brainer.  This project could be halfway built by now

 

2) I still can't believe they picked MEMI over the group that originally wanted to build the music venue.  Again that could be getting started right now, instead its getting built across the river

 

3) per #2, I know that supposedly the reason the MEMI music venue can't move forward is they have to relocate the concrete plant so the Bengals can have a tailgating lot.  This is ridiculous.  a) tailgaiting isn't a huge thing at bengals games, not compared to other NFL cities, b) it only happens 8 times a year, so dedicating prime land for it is insane  c) THE ONLY REASON FANS TAILGATE IN THE FIRST PLACE IS BECAUSE MOST STADIUMS ARE SURROUNDED BY VAST SEAS OF SURFACE PARKING LOTS.  If instead your stadium is surrounded by an awesome mixed use neighborhood with restaurants and bars, guess what, fans will just go to those establishments instead.   I am sure if someone really wanted to, they could figure out a legal way to tell the bengals to shove off about their stupid tailgating.   But Katie Blackburn is on the steering committee, so clearly the bengals will keep getting whatever they want.

 

4)  I suppose the skystar is better than a useless piece of grass, but the lot south of the Freedom center desperately needs a mixed use building on it.  That lot plus the freedom center create a dividing line between phase 1 and phases 2-3 of the banks.  Kills the flow of the whole "neighborhood".   If the freedom center had any interaction with the street, it wouldn't be so bad, but it is built like a fortress.  

 

The Banks had so much potential, but its just been one face palm after another.  They should give 3CDC control, at least they would actually get something done.

 

Regarding point 2... weren't the other proposed music venues slated to be on a different lot that would have been slated for a much bigger mixed used development than a music venue? 

 

Regarding point 4, that land might still be developed since Skystar has stated they will move to a different location at the banks.

16 minutes ago, troeros said:

Regarding point 2... weren't the other proposed music venues slated to be on a different lot that would have been slated for a much bigger mixed used development than a music venue?

 

No, both MEMI and PromoWest wanted to build on the surface parking lots south of the existing parking garage pedestal. So in both cases it would have preserved the existing parking garage pedestal (south of Radius and GE) for another large development like an office building and/or apartment complex.

 

It was only LiveNation that proposed building a venue on top of the existing parking garage pedestal, and their proposal was never going to taken seriously because it made the least sense out of the 3 proposals.

It would cost very little for the mirror site to Yard House to be developed as it wouldn't require any county financing for parking as it is already out of the flood plain. I really wish that would get something asap to help make that area feel complete. That fence and gravel lot just make it all feel under construction. I remember hearing rumors of a Giordano's as well as other more tacky, touristy restaurants a while ago.

Banks has more of a game day feel for it. OUtside of that, there really is not a great vibe there. OTR has the neighborhoody bar vibe to it. Bars at the Banks are more touristy or have that feel to them where the OTR bars have more that Authentic feel to it.

1 hour ago, taestell said:

I agree on the ridiculousness of the whole tailgating issue. We are going to move heaven and earth so that people from Brown County can drink Bud Lights out of an Igloo cooler in a parking lot 8 days per year instead of spending money at an actual business near the stadium that generates tax revenue for the city and county.

 

Honestly, I think your take here is a bit too narrow and frankly rude. 

People from Hamilton, Butler, NKY, and Indiana counties drink Bud Lights our of an Igloo cooler in a parking lot 8 days per year too!

 

But for real, screw this. They STILL have massive amounts of tailgating happening west of the stadium. Hell, that's where most of the action is because it's out of the sun/covered by the highway. Why we're dedicating prime riverfront land to Bengals fans makes little sense. At this point, tailgating is a cultural/NFL thing. Most of those people aren't going to visit a bar or local business instead (ala FCC matches in Clifton), because... well... they'd probably get tossed from most of those. Still, they have space. They're losing nothing. 

Can't wait for the Bengals to move and for the Brown/Blackburn family to be gone from this city. 

I think the Banks is slowly becoming the 'bro' place to hang out as Mt. Adams is becoming sleepier. Gala Park with its velvet ropes, all the sports bars, the Stretch, Jefferson Social, and the new Fish Bowl DJ bar all have a certain vibe.

 

To oversimplify, OTR has the cocktail and hipster bars and the Banks has the sports and DJ bars. I think tourists go to both places, it's just which scene they want. 

Big news, unless I completely missed this announcement some other time...

 

Looks like more office space is coming to the Walnut & 2nd lot at the banks

 

Edited July 30, 20195 yr by 10albersa

Wow! Hopefully this gets started asap! Thats awesome. 

 

Reading through this guys tweets seems like there is a ton happening at this meeting

Edited July 30, 20195 yr by seaswan

On 7/26/2019 at 5:04 PM, ryanlammi said:

Also, I think the biggest concentration of these are going to be in places like Las Vegas that have a huge built-in tourism industry. This is a pretty complicated thing that sounds like a great idea, but is probably way more involved than most people realize. The constant upgrading of equipment probably requires a huge annual cost. Possibly even something that a tourism bureau would have to be involved in subsidizing. 

 

Not necessarily. Harrisburg University just built a 174,000 square foot ESports training and events facility. It's led to Harrisburg becoming quite the hub for ESports, and now there's an annual Harrisburg University ESports festival (HUEfest) which shuts downtown down during the largest ESports invitational in the country so far. Harrisburg is not exactly a wealthy city or tourism mecca by any measure. It took a firm commitment from the University though. I think a venue without a home team is like an airport without a hub.

https://garage.ext.hp.com/us/en/news/HUEfestival-esports-gaming-team-competition-Harrisburg.html

https://www.sarabozich.com/2018/09/hue-fest-rocks-downtown-harrisburg/

 

27 minutes ago, 10albersa said:

Big news, unless I completely missed this announcement some other time...

 

Looks like more office space is coming to the Walnut & 2nd lot at the banks

 

It even has it's own website page already too.

http://thebankscincy.com/attractions/180-walnut/

 

Perhaps I’m misreading, but what seems implicit in chris’s and Tana’s tweets is that the Bengals have agreed to allow the music venue to be constructed without the immediate removal of Hilltop/creation of a tailgating lot. Hamilton county is going to press forward with the music venue, and the city will continue to work out the Hilltop move, and the Bengals will get their tailgating lot... eventually. 

 

1 minute ago, Pdrome513 said:

Perhaps I’m misreading, but what seems implicit in chris’s and Tana’s tweets is that the Bengals have agreed to allow the music venue to be constructed without the immediate removal of Hilltop/creation of a tailgating lot. Hamilton county is going to press forward with the music venue, and the city will continue to work out the Hilltop move, and the Bengals will get their tailgating lot... eventually. 

 

 

Yes, Hilltop will continue to allow tailgaters to use there property on Sunday of course for a fee. They will remain in place until new site is selected and agreed upon for relocation. The Bengals are allowing the existing parking lot to move forward  and become the music venue. Finally starting to see the Bengals organization, willing to work with the county and city. I am always leery though, you never know what backdoor deal is happening when the Bengals/Brown Family is being nice. 

With this eSports stuff you just want to make sure you can turn it into something else quickly and easily so it doesn't turn out like the IMAX at NOTL. The #1 thing to remember with the video game industry is that people quit the games all the time. They just walk away. They quit playing individual games. They quit playing them in a certain form. They quit playing a certain system. They quit genres. They quit companies. They quit.

 

Most of these "hardcore" or "endemic" people are only doing it because they literally aren't able to do anything else. They don't have money. It is not a demographic to throw yourself on a sword for.

40 minutes ago, 10albersa said:

Big news, unless I completely missed this announcement some other time...

 

Looks like more office space is coming to the Walnut & 2nd lot at the banks

 

 

I mentioned on the 22nd that there had been a lot of buzz around the office pad... 

 

They have been shopping it around town, the website and rendering are old but they are definitely trying to push it hard. 

4 minutes ago, ucgrady said:

 

I mentioned on the 22nd that there had been a lot of buzz around the office pad... 

 

They have been shopping it around town, the website and rendering are old but they are definitely trying to push it hard. 

 

So are they going to have to wait to develop this office tower until they have an anchor office tenant? Or can they build it regardless without an immediate tenant?

5 minutes ago, troeros said:

 

So are they going to have to wait to develop this office tower until they have an anchor office tenant? Or can they build it regardless without an immediate tenant?

 

They are starting to pre-lease once they get the blessing of the steering committee. So Lincoln Property Company will be the developer of the office pad and will market the building to prospective tenants, they hit a certain lease number, and financing will come through for construction. 

31 minutes ago, SleepyLeroy said:

It even has it's own website page already too.

http://thebankscincy.com/attractions/180-walnut/

 

That website page is OLD and has been around for years. Doesn't appear to be updated based on the latest news.

 

2 minutes ago, savadams13 said:

 

They are starting to pre-lease once they get the blessing of the steering committee. So Lincoln Property Company will be the developer of the office pad and will market the building to prospective tenants, they hit a certain lease number, and financing will come through for construction. 

 

So assuming everything goes according to plan then fingers crossed for a potential 2020 ground breaking? 

If they say 2020, it's either late 2021 or early 2022 that this starts.  The new Kroger is the only project I've ever seen actually start and get completed on time.

3 minutes ago, 10albersa said:

If they say 2020, it's either late 2021 or early 2022 that this starts.  The new Kroger is the only project I've ever seen actually start and get completed on time.

 

 

I feel like the banks has been pretty aggressive with the music venue construction. Probably would've started sooner if it wasn't for the difficulty not relocating hilltop. 

 

I know the general rule of thumb is that construction projects are usually delayed considerably from the day of the initial announcement but I can't help but feel that the banks Committee/Hamilton county commissioners have some sort of desire to accelerate the pace of development in order to ensure that leasing occupancy rates remain high for the current businesses located at the banks... obviously adding office workers will help replenish sales for the banks resturaunts/planet fitness/other businesses, etc. 

15 stories....does anyone know how tall the GE building is? 

Hopefully it moves quick and that new building will look nice on the skyline and driving in from 75/71 to FWW. This would be the first new construction offices downtown they said since GE Building and before the Great America Tower, so hopefully this is the start of even more movement of office construction.

 

Also, very cool they seem to be moving forward with the development as well on Lot 24, we may be having a construction fury at the Banks by middle next year, would be great to see.

Edited July 30, 20195 yr by IAGuy39

My question is somewhat tangential to this thread, but with the music venue’s announced outdoor capacity of 8,000, to go along with the festival space utilized for Homecoming last year, does this give MEMI the opportunity now to put on a music festival that could rival or even exceed the size of Bunbury? (Hence my real question: what is the standing room capacity of the main stage at Sawyer Point for Bunbury?) 

 

(Also important to factor in that the final build-out of Smale Park, probably a year or so away, will add several acres of green space on the west side of the Roebling)

Edited July 30, 20195 yr by Pdrome513

9 minutes ago, IAGuy39 said:

Hopefully it moves quick and that new building will look nice on the skyline and driving in from 75/71 to FWW. This would be the first new construction offices downtown they said since GE Building and before the Great America Tower, so hopefully this is the start of even more movement of office construction.

 

Also, very cool they seem to be moving forward with the development as well on Lot 24, we may be having a construction fury at the Banks by middle next year, would be great to see.

 

Wasnt the pier/dock approved for smale park as well?

I know it's a pretty small site compared to the other vacant sites at the Banks, but I think getting the office tower built at 2nd and Walnut will do wonders for making The Banks feel more complete. Plus, more office users will be a great way to get more non-bar uses down there. With more day time traffic, I can definitely see the need for a coffee shop and maybe some fast casual lunch type places. I would love to see a Cava (more or less a Mediterranean Chipotle) or something similar open down there. 

New rendering: 

 

1 hour ago, cincydave8 said:

15 stories....does anyone know how tall the GE building is? 

 

I can't imagine it is taller then GE.  If I remember correctly the county had to get permission from the Bengals for the GE building b/c the HVAC on top of the building exceeded the height limit within the Banks zone.  

Maybe this changed. 

5 minutes ago, 14Bremen said:

I can't imagine it is taller then GE.  If I remember correctly the county had to get permission from the Bengals for the GE building b/c the HVAC on top of the building exceeded the height limit within the Banks zone.  

Maybe this changed.

 

In one of Chris's tweets, he stated that this will be taller than GE, which I think is less than 15 stories.

 

The Bengals were probably worried about people being able to watch the games from the top floors of the GE building, which is an odd concern, but with this building being further away, that shouldn't be a problem.

Edited July 30, 20195 yr by 10albersa

GE building is 12 stories, so 180 Walnut will be taller by 3 stories

Edited July 30, 20195 yr by cin614

1 hour ago, cincydave8 said:

15 stories....does anyone know how tall the GE building is? 

The GE building is 12 floors

I would hope they would push to get this started quickly since it has been sitting empty for quite some time now. 

They said on the radio it tops off at 235 ft.

3 minutes ago, Cincinnatus said:

They said on the radio it tops off at 235 ft.

Which is basically the same height as Encore. Anyone have the ability to do a mock up of the skyline with this building and all of the others in the works? (New convention hotel, fountain square, etc.)

7 minutes ago, Ucgrad2015 said:

I would hope they would push to get this started quickly since it has been sitting empty for quite some time now. 

 

Yeah, almost 10 years.  

GE is 185' ... right?

5 minutes ago, Cincinnatus said:

GE is 185' ... right?

185.01’ ?

 

So, like the apartment buildings at The Banks, this office building will have two additional stories of above-ground parking above the underground parking garage.

1 minute ago, taestell said:

 

So, like the apartment buildings at The Banks, this office building will have two additional stories of above-ground parking above the underground parking garage.

Was about to do an urbanist freak-out over this too but then I thought that 90 spots isn’t really that much for a building of this size and square footage. Could this be considered parking-lite?

Can someone do a mock up rendering with the addition of the 235 feet office building and the music venue...I also know that the new Skystar will reach above 200 feet as well 

$90 million office tower planned for the Banks: PHOTOS

By Chris Wetterich  – Staff reporter and columnist, Cincinnati Business Courier

 

 

Chicago-based Lincoln Property Company plans to build a $90 million office tower on a long-vacant parcel of the Banks at 180 Walnut St., which officials say will inject more people on a daily basis into the riverfront mixed-use project.

 

The tower will be 235 feet tall with 15 stories – 11 of them office space – two floors of parking, one floor of retail/restaurant and a top-floor amenity area.

 

a few new details and renderings

Completion date set for Banks music venue despite indecision on Hilltop move

 

The developer of the proposed music venue at the Banks said Tuesday that it could be completed by October 2020, making the timeline competitive with a rival Newport project, but there is no agreement yet to move a concrete plant that is a key piece of the complex deal.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/07/30/completion-date-set-for-banks-music-venue-despite.html

 

Signage brand signage is the best signage that signage can sign.  

3 hours ago, jjakucyk said:

Signage brand signage is the best signage that signage can sign.  

Sign me up!

Since the showboat majestic is no longer on the riverfront will we ever see that horrible parking lot tuned into an extension of the park? 

Quote

Since the showboat majestic is no longer on the riverfront will we ever see that horrible parking lot tuned into an extension of the park?

 

I believe you are referring to the Public Landing; not to say it couldn't be greatly improved, but it has its own set of deed/use restrictions.  This article explains some of the history.

 

Our history: Public Landing triggered disputes from the start

Jeff Suess, [email protected] 3:07 p.m. ET Sept. 20, 2017

 

Since the city’s beginning, the Public Landing was meant for everyone to use, but that has been the subject of several disputes.

The landing was the site where the first settlers pulled ashore on Dec. 28, 1788, at a small cove at the foot of what would become Sycamore Street.

Israel Ludlow, one of the founders, laid out the first plat of Cincinnati (then called Losantiville). The plat was completed a few days later on Jan. 7, but not recorded until required by law on April 29, 1802, according to “History of Cincinnati, Ohio” by Henry A. Ford and Kate B. Ford.

 

MORE

14 minutes ago, The_Cincinnati_Kid said:

 

I believe you are referring to the Public Landing; not to say it couldn't be greatly improved, but it has its own set of deed/use restrictions.  This article explains some of the history.

 

Our history: Public Landing triggered disputes from the start

Jeff Suess, [email protected] 3:07 p.m. ET Sept. 20, 2017

 

Since the city’s beginning, the Public Landing was meant for everyone to use, but that has been the subject of several disputes.

The landing was the site where the first settlers pulled ashore on Dec. 28, 1788, at a small cove at the foot of what would become Sycamore Street.

Israel Ludlow, one of the founders, laid out the first plat of Cincinnati (then called Losantiville). The plat was completed a few days later on Jan. 7, but not recorded until required by law on April 29, 1802, according to “History of Cincinnati, Ohio” by Henry A. Ford and Kate B. Ford.

 

MORE

 

Huh I've walked by that lot many times...you would think such a historically significant place would at least deserve some type of statue highlighting the history behind that parking lot. 

The western portion with the old belgian block feels historic, the problem is the large part that was covered in asphalt. If the whole area was still stone and had some larger stone seating walls, plantings and even a dock to tie up a few boats (where the majestic is/was) it would be a great place with nod to the history as well.

 

Whether it's placed at Smale or in this location I really want Cincinnati to have a boat dock again.