April 19, 200718 yr I'm preparing myself for generic "new south" architecture at this point. The clues in the articles above indicate just that, especially Pepper's comments. And nothing I've seen suggests anything else is possible. My hopes for any sort of remarkable thing in that area rest with the park.
April 19, 200718 yr completion of the banks will at least give suburban people one less thing to complain about when they say that they dont' like the city
April 19, 200718 yr ^My hopes for any sort of remarkable thing in that area rest with the park. Speaking of which, how come Cincinnati doesn't have any good statues of U.S. Grant, W.T. Sherman, or Phil Sheridan? Those guys kicked ass, and they were all from Ohio (or close enough in the case of Sheridan). Hell, Grant's favorite horse was named Cincinnati.
April 20, 200718 yr I agree with many of the above statements. This update does not sound good at all. I'll wait until they release some sort of plans before I pick it apart.
April 20, 200718 yr I agree with many of the above statements. This update does not sound good at all. I'll wait until they release some sort of plans before I pick it apart. Me too. I'm a visual kind of guy ... it's driving me nuts not being able to see some sort of rendering ... I don't give a damn if it's done with Microsoft Paint, just give it to me.
April 20, 200718 yr well I think I have a pretty good idea of what they're proposing, I just want to be sure.
April 20, 200718 yr Leaders get peek at Banks Riverfront revival calls for 'wall-to-wall entertainment' BY JESSICA BROWN AND JON NEWBERRY | [email protected], [email protected] New renderings of the proposed Banks riverfront development are being quietly shared with some elected city and county leaders as the deadline for a development deal draws near. Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune said the renderings are expected to be unveiled Monday at 1 p.m. during a meeting of the city, the county, the Banks Working Group and the developer, though no official announcement has been made. The meeting is open to the public. Full story text is available at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/NEWS01/704200374/1077/COL02
April 20, 200718 yr I like the scale of the project from the first rendering. The building footprints are modest, which is good. Like the others on this forum, I'm eagerly anticipating the unveiling of more renderings on Monday.
April 20, 200718 yr If it looks anything like that above, then it will be visually separated from the downtown, the CBD. I think about the new construction going on in places like Prospect Hill, where new homes are being constructed in between other homes built in the mid-to-late 1800's and how well they blend with each other (of course it's regulated). I'm hoping they have the same thought process here.
April 20, 200718 yr The shortest buildings look like they're in the 6 story range, which is good. Of course, a few of those others look like Atrium 3 & 4. As for that perpective, I can't figure out where it's looking from.
April 20, 200718 yr If it looks anything like that above, then it will be visually separated from the downtown, the CBD. I think about the new construction going on in places like Prospect Hill, where new homes are being constructed in between other homes built in the mid-to-late 1800's and how well they blend with each other (of course it's regulated). I'm hoping they have the same thought process here. I dunno, I think that unfortunately looks like much of the CBD that's come along in the last 30-40 years. By the way, some of the new construction in Prospect Hill is not very cohesive. Boal St is not part of the historic district, so those unfinsished condos look like poo. I bet to the extent they're thinking about it at all, AIG is trying to relate to the Freedom Center and PBS more than buildings downtown. At least, I bet that's what we hear from them Monday.
April 20, 200718 yr ^ The perspective is looking from PBS...you can see the top of the Carew Tower and the Scripps Center on the left. The triangle in the foreground will be next to PBS, and is featured on the site plan for the Central Riverfront Park.
April 20, 200718 yr from what i've seen it looks like there won't be structures on the fww deck but four parks instead. The triangle just north of pbs may have been added to the project
April 20, 200718 yr I don't think Fort Washington Way was designed to support entire buildings, but I could be wrong. Adding in parks requires a considerable weight as is (at least three feet of base, plus drainage systems and reinforcements)... The rendering (where I am squinting to see) looks quite nice and would be an attractive 'entry' into the city, IMO.
April 20, 200718 yr Whats the general consensus in the 'nati about the parkland leading from the CBD extending around the Freedom center on to the river. Do you guys want that or would you rather it be more buildings?
April 20, 200718 yr Building south of Mehring Way (the closest to the river) is a no-go due to flooding. And really, that might be a concern south of Ted Berry (next street up) as well. I think keeping that block clear from the Freedom Center to the Suspension Bridge is a good choice as well. Generally speaking, I'd like to see less park and more building. But there are specifics here that make me feel ok with having the park as planned. Being in a flood plain is chief among them. The blocks south of Berry that are in the park will have some structures on them and also include the water wall feature, so I think that's going to be a good result. I'd like to see the blocks over FWW built up, partly since we'll already have plenty of park.
April 20, 200718 yr How many projected residents will there be in this project? Add in outside residents from the suburbs coming down to use the park system, those from Covington and Newport (esp. with all the new condos going up), and downtown Cinci, there should be plenty of use for these parks. As I previously stated earlier in this thread, I like the idea of the park 'leading' visitors up into the downtown. It's an attractive draw, kind of like a wayfinder, IMO.
April 20, 200718 yr i like the "intent" of the rendering they provide....probably aquired without permission. that is EXACTLY the direction i think this development needs to go. interesting that they have this rendering when it seems, at least a while ago, that they would start at the other end first. again that begs the question of where the image came from.
April 20, 200718 yr Speaking of which, how come Cincinnati doesn't have any good statues of U.S. Grant, W.T. Sherman, or Phil Sheridan? Those guys kicked ass, and they were all from Ohio (or close enough in the case of Sheridan). Hell, Grant's favorite horse was named Cincinnati. Though not specifically Banks related I too have often wondered why Rutherford B. Hayes does not have a statue in town as one of a handful of US Presidents with a direct connection to Cincinnati. After law schools he moved here, had a practice here and was City Solicitor (or worked in the office) from 1857 - 1859. Cincinnati's district elected him (1865 - 1867) to the US House of Representatives while he was still serving in the military during the Civil War. He eventually was Governor of Ohio (1868 - 1872 and 1876 - 1877) before "winning" the presidential election of 1876. Heck, even the 1876 National Republican Convention where he was nominated for President was in Cincinnati at Exposition Hall (where Music Hall now stands)! In addition while I know there is a William Howard Taft statue on UC's campus near the Law School, I have also wondered why he is not represted downtown.
April 20, 200718 yr I like the fact that each bldg at least looks somewhat different from one another. One thing that I did not want to see was a uniform architecture style for the development. That would have made it feel more like an island rather than an extension of downtown. I think the scale is good as well. BTW, what is that curvy structure between Second Street and Freedom Way? That is the Freedom Center. Whats the general consensus in the 'nati about the parkland leading from the CBD extending around the Freedom center on to the river. Do you guys want that or would you rather it be more buildings? I like the layout of park area leading from the CBD to the river. It has a very European feel to it. Kinda like in DC with the long stretch of lawn/parkland going through all of the museums and landmarks. This will be Cincinnati's version of that...not many cities can boast something like that. I feel that more bldgs would have been nice, but you can get clusters of bldgs anywhere. This layout of parks creates something very unique for Cincinnati. Cincinnati is already known for having one of the premier park systems in the nation...this highlights that and puts an exclamation point on our dynamic features (Roebling, The Banks, park spaces, great architecture downtown). I still love the plan, and I'll be interested to see some more renderings hopefully without the pink tint to it!
April 21, 200718 yr Developers to show new plan BY JON NEWBERRY | [email protected] The Banks Working Group will unveil a new conceptual master plan for the long-delayed project on Cincinnati's central riverfront at a public meeting at 1 p.m. Monday at the Duke Energy Center downtown. Officials from the preferred development team of Atlanta-based AIG/Carter, with whom the Banks Working Group is negotiating a master development agreement, will present "conceptual master plans for the Banks," the group said in a statement issued Friday. No renderings or concepts will be released by the group before the meeting, it said. Full story text is available at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070421/BIZ01/704210336/1076/BIZ
April 21, 200718 yr I'll probably be there...Planning Profs usually don't worry about missing class for something like this.
April 22, 200718 yr I like it. But you should probably post a picture of it for reference in case a lot of people haven't seen it.
April 22, 200718 yr I can't wait...I think I'm gonna head down to the convention center on Monday for the unveiling!
April 22, 200718 yr My initial thoughts upon seeing this rendering was Santa Monica promenade area. I really have no clue why, but if thats how it will be that would be great with me.
April 23, 200718 yr I kind of liked the older styled architecture rendering... it blended with the current cincinnati architecture better in my opinion
April 23, 200718 yr I kinda like the new design, I would like to see new pictures once they come in. The building on the left looks a lot like Paul Brown Stadium especially the design on the roof.
April 23, 200718 yr If the new renderings look more like the picture up top, then I say put the new design and old design on an emergency ballot and have the people of Hamilton County decide which direction they should go.......................................... I don't know if I'm being serious or not......................................... If the new design looks anything like the rendering above, I'm worried that it would get old to people real quick. Sorta like.......after seeing it a couple of times you stop looking forward to seeing it. I'm afraid that that will happen to me. With the old design I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing it. I would always look forward to seeing it. The old design showed much more time and care going into it. The new design doesn't, you just slap some steel and glass together and presto, you have a neighborhood. Anyway, I'll wait till I get a chance to see the whole thing tomorrow being I start stressing out.
April 23, 200718 yr Developers to start small on Banks BY DAN MONK | [email protected] April 23, 2007 DOWNTOWN - The Banks riverfront development project is a $600 million mouthful, but the new development team in charge of the project has decided to start with a smaller, $50 million bite. AIG/Carter Real Estate will pursue housing and entertainment tenants on either side of Freedom Way, connecting the Great American Ball Park with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. A pair of two-story garages will be constructed on two blocks west of the ballpark, along with elevated streets connecting the blocks to the rest of the central riverfront street grid. Full story text is available at http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/04/23/daily2.html NAACP, labor groups push for Banks project inclusion April 23, 2007 | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER DOWNTOWN - A coalition of community groups is calling for "living wages, job readiness and apprenticeship programs and community oversight" at the Banks riverfront development project. At a 12:30 news conference om Monday, the coalition of church, labor and community-activist groups called on the Banks Working Group to publicly affirm its intent to promote economic inclusion at the Banks. Full story text is available at http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/04/23/daily5.html
April 23, 200718 yr Banks Project To Be Open By End Of 2009 First Visions Of Project Revealed Monday POSTED: 12:15 pm EDT April 23, 2007 UPDATED: 1:11 pm EDT April 23, 2007 Email This Story | Print This Story Sign Up for Breaking News Alerts CINCINNATI -- It's been one of the most talked-about and debated pieces of property in Cincinnati -- the area along the Ohio River known as the Banks. Now, people are getting the first look at what is expected to go into that space by the end of the decade. News 5’s John London said the Banks Working Committee is showing off artist renderings of a high-density housing, office and entertainment development. Full story text is available at http://www.wlwt.com/news/12908181/detail.html
April 23, 200718 yr Went to the meeting. Not really a great deal of detail, and they stressed these are all works in progress. Those articles above pretty much spell it all out. 225 housing units in phase 1 in the easternmost 2 blocks. Condos range 200-400k Freedom way to be central retail corridor. I forget the sq ft of retail. Buildings range from 5-20 floors. Focus on reconstituting urban fabric, rather than signature architecture; two restaurants on block south of Freedom Center poised to be most distinctive buildings. One of the larger buildings in Phase 1, office I think, looked decent... everything else sort of blah. A lot more office space planned than I expected. Building heights would depend on amount of prelease.
April 23, 200718 yr Here are a couple of the renderings that the Enquirer has put up thus far...there will be updates, so check back to see more. Here are the specs of the project: - One million square feet of offices - 1,800 condominiums - 300,000 square feet of retail - One or two hotels, with 500 rooms
April 23, 200718 yr One thing I was surprised by was that the folks from Carter or the working group didn't have specific answers for questions about economic inclusion or workforce development. They repeatedly said that their record speaks for itself, but they didn't offer any specifics about their record. It was like they expected it to be self evident.
April 23, 200718 yr channelcincinnati.com has a slideshow for whoevers interested... are their any highrises in the plans?
April 23, 200718 yr am i wrong or does it look like FWW is not covered. if so, i think thats a huge mistake!
April 23, 200718 yr I think that is outside the scope of AIG carter's contract. the decks were supposed to be parks
April 23, 200718 yr i thought that might be true but first off i wanted there to be development but second even if they are supposed to be parks then why didnt they put them in their renderings like they do the central riverfront park? I just hope something goes there!
April 23, 200718 yr Right, someone asked about that, and the rep from Carter said the same thing. The decks have come up recently in their talks and they're looking into it. Portune has requested money from Hamilton Co parks to pay for the decks. I think they said $20 mil per block.
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