I disagree with you there, Prolix.  Cincinnati has built two new stadiums, a museum, a new park, and is about to start construction on a river front grage that is to be the building blocks for the banks.  It will happen, when is to be determined.

i agree with you edale.  you cant just accept every crackpot idea for riverfront development.  sure cincy missed out on a few good ideas such as the aquarium and the hofbrau haus but big deal, there still right accross the river.  and im not sure what vision you are refering to prolix.  if cincinnati had the amazing skyline view on its riverfront that all the northern kentucky communities have, youd better believe that development energy would be in cincy as well.  i think most people on this forum agree that the office/condo development in covington leaves much to be desired.  so why not just have a little patience and we can get this done right.  sure it has taken much longer than anybody would hope, but relax...its going to happen and when it does we can all shut the hell up.

Meanwhile, Covington continues to struggles to put together a cohesive arts district while we have Backstage, Main Street, and the new Washington Park area in not too long....

 

Sometimes people have short or selective memories and fail to realize the good that's been done.

 

While I agree that the process for the Banks has been painfully slow, I can't jump on the negative "it will never be done" bandwagon just yet (atrocities like the Fountain Square West notwithstanding).

why is it Cincy vs. NKY... I dont understand and never will... The Ohio River is simply a wonderful half mile wide boulevarde through the middle of ONE city.  Sure Newport, Covington and Cincy all have their own governments, but it's a city as a whole!

 

Also, on the comments about 'cincinnati' not being able to get anything done.. that's just inacurate.  The problem with the banks has more to do with a bonehead parking contract the COUNTY signed with the Reds/Bengals than anything else.  Once that is ironed out the parking garages will rise and soon the banks will be real... and 3CDC WILL make that happen.

i agree with you as well jhansbau about Cincy vs. NKY, and that is the point i was trying to make with the aquarium and such. 

why is it Cincy vs. NKY... I dont understand and never will... The Ohio River is simply a wonderful half mile wide boulevarde through the middle of ONE city. Sure Newport, Covington and Cincy all have their own governments, but it's a city as a whole!

 

Also, on the comments about 'cincinnati' not being able to get anything done.. that's just inacurate. The problem with the banks has more to do with a bonehead parking contract the COUNTY signed with the Reds/Bengals than anything else. Once that is ironed out the parking garages will rise and soon the banks will be real... and 3CDC WILL make that happen.

Really though how much money can a city have? They built 2 new stadums. Expanding a convention center. Built a brand new perforing arts center. Built fort washington way. Subsidize many large festivals(eg. octoberfest). Spending 2 billion on remodeling and building new schools. all of this in a city of only 340k.

i agree with you as well jhansbau about Cincy vs. NKY, and that is the point i was trying to make with the aquarium and such.

 

I don't.  While yes NKY is part of the metro and in many ways is an added bonus especially for someone like me who moved from St. Louis and got to see East St. Louis rotting away on the Illinois side.  As long as Kentucky continues to lure Ohio jobs into their state it will always be a Cincy vs. NKY.  They tried to get Convergys, tried to get Kroger, tried to get Cincinnati Bell and while 1,500 jobs being added to Fidelity is awesome for the region, the small print says about 500 jobs will be from Blue Ash.  So while I like NKY and visit Newport, Covington frequently my overall opinion of NKY is that they can kiss my ass.  Once they stop trying to lure Ohio jobs to improve their economy maybe I will have a more positive attitude about anything south of the river. 

 

As for the Banks.  I am upset that the city is focusing on Foutain Square when it should be focusing on "The Banks".  I personally am not that happy about the Fountain Square redevelopment while we have two holes on our riverfront.  Fountain Square could use an update but "The Banks" IMO is priority #1.

At the same time this is going to dramatically change Mt. Adams if they were to move.  I hope they get a strong tenant to take over the space vacated.  Perhaps unique retail to complement the restaurants nearby.

i doubt mt adams would have an issue finding a use for it, where space is severely limited any sort of open space will get used. well, unless its downtown cincinnati ;) i have more faith in mt adams than i have in downtown

the focus thing more what i refer to and why i have a fairly pessimistic view of the banks. believe me, i'd love to see it happen. i live on 4th street and anything new downtown would be great.

 

i think cincy and the city council just lack focus. seems like they bicker too much to ever get it done, thus the reason a private entity would have to lease and control fountain square. and montecarloss is right, i mean, why focus on the square when there's that big hole between the stadiums. that's the prime spot to invest, but they get so tied up in these other things that could really wait. i mean, if the banks took off, that would free up the resouces to do these other small projects later down the road, and perhaps give more justification to them.

 

nky is beating cincy to the punch on a lot of stuff, and while cvg is just dull towers, newport is cleaning its act up. sure it has a long way to go, but look how far it's come in very few years. then we look at stuff like the banks and what's the holdup? garages? there's a big hole, fill them with garages, problem solved right? or is the councils bickering and lack of focus what is scaring off investors and developers?

 

 

Can someone please contact Mayor Richard Daley in Chicago and see if he is willing to be our mayor.  Isn't Giuliani available? 

Prolix, as mentioned earlier, the Banks is a COUNTY run program, not the City.  Although I do agree with you that Council is very much a group of bickerers, whiners and self promoters.

 

As for the NKY/SW Ohio debate, you can say the competition is good for the region.  However, what NKY calls economic development is really nothing of the sort, on a regional level.  If a company is paying $500,000 in taxes per year north of the river and NKY lures them over to the south side, with a package of tax breaks reducing their taxes to $300,000, they are just reducing the size of the tax pie.  Wait till the tax deal is over, the company will re-shop themselves again and take the best deal.  No one likes paying taxes obviously, but roads, schools and other infrastructure has to get paid for somehow.  The only ones who really win are the companies themselves, and you can't blame them.  If I owned a company and could pocket an extra couple of hundred grand a year, I would do it too.

 

 

Another example is Norwood, to the uninformed observer (e.g. the idiots who write to the editor in the Enquirer), Norwood seems to be kicking ass.  But, Norwood has been broke or close to it for about 8 years now.  The tax rolls from all the stores in Norwood pale in comparison to the taxes they used to pull in from the GM plant. Ever driven through Norwood?  Almost every street looks like it belongs in a third world country.

 

 

I am getting off the soapbox now.....

I don't think it's a lack of focus on the Banks that's holding back its development. It's the insane legal hurdles and immense cost 3CDC must put up with in order to develop it. Secondly, private dollars will not come until garages are in place.

 

Fountain square, on the other hand, presents very few legal hurdles. It already has an established infrastructure, only requires a small request from the public coffers, and will take less time to finish. Personally, I think it's smart of 3CDC to tackle a project they know they can quickly turnover. It will build the goodwill necessary to get the public, developers, and banks to trust them in the future.

I devil in me just wanted to add a little fuel to the fire on this whole Cincy vs. NKY thing.

  Now I could be totally wrong in what I'm going to say and anyone who wants to correct me, please do....just make sure that your right or you'll be the one looking silly :wink:

  I'm going to add to where Monte started.

  Not only has NKY ( I think it goes more for Newport than Covington ) constantly tried to lure jobs and people to their side, they most recently stepped over the line IMO when they tried to lure tennant's from FINDLAY MARKET.

  I know it's healthy for the growth of a city to lure company's and improve tax base and yadayadayada.... But my question is, why do they have to try to lure the stuff from the city right across from them?

  And also ( correct me if I'm wrong ) the idea for the NEWPORT AQUARIUM came after groups from New Jersey and Houston both made proposals to build an Aquarium in Downtown Cincinnati in 1996. Of course they screwed the pooch on that and Newport ran with it . It's really a shame too because I think the Aquarium proposed for Cincinnati was to be twice as big as the one that's in Newport.

  And one more. ( correct me if I'm wrong on this one too ) Strangely, after a proposal in 1997 for 'THE BANKS' came out, a proposal for a place called NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE came out around 1998 looking awfully similar to the 'THE BANKS'  just much smaller in scale.

  Now I guess in NKY's defence, while Cincinnati gets the ideas and the diddles with themselves over it, NKY is actually getting them done.

  Remember the MILLENIUM MONUMENT that was supposed the be built in Newport? Maybe the only reason it wasn't built is because it wasn't proposed for Cincinnati first.

^^ It's as simple as they know Cincinnati had the clout to bring other new players into the region where newport does not. They know Cincinnati will replace what is lost.

although the current theatre space itself is very interesting and nice...i have never really liked the building or its presence in mt adams.  it would just be awesome if they moved to be a part of the banks...or at least newport or covington something  :wink:

NKY is a much smaller game each of the cities take Newport, Bellevue and Covington are small and therefore alot of the issues that we have in the city they don't.  But more simply Cincinnati's downtown focu is ever increasing and with the many new units coming online the Fountain Square proposal and the riverfront entertainment district called the Banks sure to come online the entire metro will benefit.

the group trying to lure Findlay Market tennants was in Bellevue.  But you are pretty accurate in your overall assesment.  But I don't see that as being a bad thing, that Newport is able to implement projects that get dropped in Cincy.  While the county was bickering with the Reds/Bengals over parking revenue for 8 years delaying the banks project, would it have been better if Newport had NOT built the banks?  That doesn't make any sense.  The banks and development in Newport is good for Cincinnati.  My parents come from teh 'burbs all the time to go to the levee, and when they do, they almost always make a trip over the river to Sawyer point with the grandkids, or combine it with a Reds game.  Having that entertainment district draw is a good thing for the region, and will continue to be. 

 

The banks will still get done (once the bengals and reds realize it's in their best interest), but again, in the meantime making dirt move on Fountain Square was easier than getting things lined up on the banks.  So instead of doing nothing, you do Fountain square first, then you continue movement on the banks, so it's continous progress.  It's not this or that.. to be successful, fountain square, the banks and OTR development must ALL happen. 

I'm with jhansbau here - I'm generally positive on this stuff, regardless of which side of the river it's on.  The fact that Newport and Covington are more nimble in getting things done isn't really very remarkable, considering how much smaller and how much less bureaucracy I imagine there is there.  Regionalism is great for some things, no doubt, but there are some things that having many different jurisdictions in an area does bring you - you don't have all your eggs in one municipal basket.

  O.K. O.K., I did seem very one sided on my last post. But this is war man!!! :shoot:

All kidding aside, I'm all for Metro too. I totally agree that developments on both sides of the river benefit both sides. As a matter of fact, I dream of a day ( maybe 50 years from now when I am 80 ) when Downtown Cincinnati stretches across I-75 and I can eat dinner at a restaurant at THE BANKS facing a beautiful skyline located in NKY. It'll never happen, but one can dream. Imagine the view you would get on the approach to Cincinnati on Northbound I-75 if thier were skylines on both sides of the river.

  NKY just chaps my ass sometimes. Let me give an example:

Remember that decommissioned ( spelling ) nuclear submarine named 'U.S.S. CINCINNATI' that Cincinnati was trying to get docked on the riverfront? ( I don't know whatever happened to that plan ). Anyway, it only took NKY a couple days until they started recommending that it be placed on the Kentucky side. I don't know if they were trying to help or not. Frankly I don't care. The submarines name was not U.S.S. COVINGTON or U.S.S. NEWPORT. It's name is U.S.S. CINCINNATI and in belongs on the Cincinnati side. It might be petty thinking but that's how I feel. The whole issue is probably dead now making this argument moot.

  That either made sense or it didn't. I could just be retarded.

Remember that decommissioned ( spelling ) nuclear submarine named 'U.S.S. CINCINNATI' that Cincinnati was trying to get docked on the riverfront? ( I don't know whatever happened to that plan ). Anyway, it only took NKY a couple days until they started recommending that it be placed on the Kentucky side. I don't know if they were trying to help or not. Frankly I don't care. The submarines name was not U.S.S. COVINGTON or U.S.S. NEWPORT. It's name is U.S.S. CINCINNATI and in belongs on the Cincinnati side. It might be petty thinking but that's how I feel. The whole issue is probably dead now making this argument moot. That either made sense or it didn't. I could just be retarded.

 

The navy wouldn't release the USS Cincinnati for security reasons.

 

Newport is still working on getting the decommissioned USS Narwhal as part of its riverfront park:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=2162.0

 

I pulled this from their website: Today the Playhouse offers productions 10 months out of the year, attracting more than 200,000 people annually to its two theatres, the 626-seat Robert S. Marx Theatre and the intimate Thompson Shelterhouse, which seats 225. Each show enjoys a run of at least four weeks, with eight performances per week, scheduled for every day but Monday

 

That's the kind of action The Banks need. Attracting that amount people on regular basis would have to be a good thing for the Banks, Fountain Square, etc.

 

Who owns the theatres? the City? I would think a developer could fill the hole the Playhouse would leave.

^Exactly.  People that would attend these plays are most likely going to be looking for a place to eat before, and perhaps a bar to socialize afterward.  200,000 isnt a huge draw by any means, but it seems like it would assist as a year round attraction and pick up a little of the slack when the reds and bengals are not in season.  DO IT!

Late breaking news from the Enquirer. It sounds like some potential dysfunction between the county and city. I hope Corporex is just doing the garages. We're find out for sure Friday afternoon.

 

Developers for Banks selected

County is moving ahead as other groups caught off guard

By Gregory Korte, Enquirer staff writer

 

Hamilton County commissioners are expected to introduce a development team for the riverfront real estate known as The Banks today, moving the long-stalled project forward. But the county seems to be going it alone on the project, with the city of Cincinnati - which owns the development "air rights" - and its two quasi-private development agencies left out of the loop.

 

The commissioners are expected to name developers Corporex Inc. of Covington and Vandercar Holdings Inc. of Madisonville as the preferred development team, said several independent sources in business and government who have been briefed on the announcement. The sources all requested anonymity because of the delicate politics involved. Corporex, owned by Bill Butler, has reshaped the Kentucky riverfront through the RiverCenter office towers in Covington. Vandercar, whose president is Rob Smyjunas, built the Center of Cincinnati shopping center in Oakley.

 

Staff writer Cliff Peale contributed.

 

To read more: None. No link given.

hmmm, should be interesting

Well, good if it moves forward on the parking decks.  But, given the air rights I don't know how they can build above them.  PLus, this is really bad if Vandercar sticks to their mantra, remember this is the group that wanted to put big-box retail at Broadway Commons.

 

If all this is true, it is a major step backwards in both city/county cooperation as well as public/private partnerships.  Finally, the County all along has been saying it doesn't have the money to pull this off.  Where the hell did they just get the money?  I did just get my property re-assessment from Hamilton County, coincidence? LOL.

County government ownes the property.

City government ownes the air rights.

Citizens of Cincinnati own a sore butthole from being screwed on the whole deal. :-o

 

I'm getting antsy for info. Here's another article from the Business Courier. Sounds like their doing more than just the garages, but only part of the Banks in a piece meal sort of way.

 

County moves forward on Banks project

Dan Monk, Courier Senior Staff Reporter

 

Construction could start as early as next spring on two riverfront blocks of retail and residential space, under a new development agreement announced today by Hamilton County. Developer Rob Smyjunas said his company, Vandercar Holdings Inc., and Covington-based Corporex Cos. Inc., will contribute $10 million in equity toward the project, known as the Banks. Smyjunas said the development will start with the construction of two parking garages east of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

 

"We're looking forward to doing a great quality riverfront project that will beneficial and celebrated by this community and the region," Smyjunas said. Corporex is the developer that rebuilt Covington's riverfront, with a combination of office, hotel and luxury residential projects. Vandercar developed a big-box retail project in Oakley, dubbed The Center of Cincinnati.

 

To read more: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2005/06/06/daily43.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Again, the above article states "county funds"!  Where have these funds been all along, this is the first quote which even hints at funding.  I know the Port Authority was close on $$$ for the blocks between the GABP and the Freedom Center, but the County all along has been crying poor on funding the garages, which are their obligation to fund.  Where did this money come from?  I guarantee you that the developers are not going to front the $90,000,000 for the parking decks.  I guess we will have to wait a few more days until the County says something. 

 

P.S. This whole thing smells a lot like a Todd Portune/Phil Heimlich "look at me" stunt.  They both excel at doing it, at the City and County level.

hopefully the city and county will bicker for the next 5 years.  This just seems so "all of the sudden" and odd.

Dear all Governments in the OKI Metro area,

    Since all Metro area municipalities in our great OKI region are affected and benefit from each others development's in all three of our states, I am hereby asking all of you to merge into one big SUPER-CITY so as to prevent a viasco such as 'The Banks' project in Cincinnati to ever happen again. This way, we would only have one government deciding what to do about development's in this very proud region. Hopefully, this would stop the bickering, lessen the tax burden, and maybe you guys could get some shit done around here.

                                                              Sincerely your endless dreamer and town drunk,

                                                                                                                        Cincykidbc1

^ ha

OK so it is $55,000,000,  not $90,000,000.  They mention TIF financing, but that has always been part of the deal, it is nothing new. This still seems very politicized and as I noted earlier, Portune has his hands in it.  If they can get it done, great.  But it doesn't explain why they have been telling OKI and the Port Authority they don't have the $$$ to fund the garages and that they should go out and find other forms of financing, which they have done.  Now, here they are "we are going to fund it through TIF financing".  The original Riverfront Advisors report mentioned this as a funding source as well.  Also, you can't tell me that the developer's $10,000,000 is what put this thing over the top.

 

 

 

Banks construction could start next year

 

By Cindi Andrews

Enquirer staff writer

 

 

From, left, Mike Brown, President, Cincinnati Bengals, John Allen, COO, Cincinnati Reds, Pat DeWine, Hamilton County Commissioner, Charlie Luken, Mayor of Cincinnati, and William Butler, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Corporex Companies, Inc., wait for the official press conference to begin which announced the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to move ahead with the Banks.

 

 

Construction on the Banks – the long-delayed project to revitalize Cincinnati’s riverfront – could start in spring 2006 under a deal the Hamilton County commissioners struck today with two developers.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050610/NEWS01/306100004

Who knows what happened?  The politicking around here never surprises me, though.

 

I'm taking bets on the exact time a date of the first complaint from a city of Cincinnati elected official.

Seeing Mike Brown and John Allen in the photo seems to indicate they have agreed to share parking revenue. I think Portune was there too - will the county lawsuit against the Bengals be resolved? I hope Mike Brown gave up his veto power on how high the buildings on The Banks can be. That is absurd he was given that authority.

Butler seen as can-do builder

His 'energy and creativity' needed to spark project

 

By Cliff Peale

Enquirer staff writer

 

 

From the news conference on the Cincinnati riverfront Friday, Bill Butler's $250 million RiverCenter office complex was conspicuous across the Ohio River.

 

But it's the view the other way that motivated Butler, chairman of Covington developer Corporex Cos. Inc., to sign a deal Friday as master developer for the Banks riverfront project.

 

"Basically, I've been looking at it for years," Butler said from his RiverCenter office Friday afternoon. "The potential is huge."

 

Corporex will join with Vandercar Holdings, owned by Rob Smyjunas, to form Banks Development Co. With Corporex as the majority owner, the new company has 180 days to negotiate a final deal with Hamilton County.

 

 

The time frame

 

Butler hopes to start construction on parking garages on both sides of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center by next spring. It will be 2007 before construction starts above street level, and 2009 before any of those buildings are ready for occupancy, he said.

 

He envisions a development worth more than $600 million with up to 1,300 residential units, two small hotels, low-rise office and retail buildings.

 

 

Financing a challenge

 

The ability to finance the project is key to Butler's and Smyjunas' plans. Butler said the combined company wouldn't be taking all the financial risk, because as master developer it would hire other developers for the residential, hotel, or retail parts of the project.

 

"We believe the financial strength of Corporex and Vandercar will cause a lot of lenders to be interested," he said, declining to reveal financial details. "My biggest concern is if we don't get there quickly enough and walk into a big recession."

 

 

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050611/NEWS01/506110372/1056

Finagling stretches 8 years

Unprecedented cooperation to be required

 

By Dan Klepal

Enquirer staff writer

 

 

Paul Brown Stadium (left) and Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati flank the space for the oft-stalled Banks project.

 

 

 

 

OTHER RIVER WORKS

The cost of some other big riverfront projects:

 

Newport on the Levee cost $200 million when it opened in 2001; that's $217 million in 2005 dollars.

 

Bill Butler's proposed Ascent at Roebling's Bridge is projected at $40 million.

 

The reconstruction of Fort Washington Way, completed in 2000, cost $314 million ($349 million in 2005 dollars).

 

The working price tag on the Brent Spence Bridge is $750 million, but easily could go to $1 billion.

 

Central Riverfront Park, between the Banks and the Ohio River, is projected to cost $78 million.

 

 

 

 

Hamilton County Commissioner Pat DeWine's microphone stopped working at a press conference Friday, just as he began saying what an important day it is for the region because county officials have found two developers ready to begin rebuilding Cincinnati's central riverfront next spring.

 

Based on the project's history, the glitch was appropriate.

 

Over the past eight years, the $600 million project called the Banks has stopped, started, sputtered and roared back to life more than any other. It's easily the most expensive and complicated - and some would argue most important - development in city history.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050611/NEWS01/506110373/1056

I agree with Tarbell about Vandercar.  They have only been around about 3-4 years and as far as I know have only done the Center of Cincinnati and a retail development in Florence.  Not exactly a great resume for a giant urban infill project.

 

 

 

 

 

'We'll move forward,' says Luken

 

By Gregory Korte

Enquirer staff writer

 

 

 

Two days ago, the county's new riverfront plan was a closely guarded secret - with economic development officials from the city of Cincinnati and its two downtown development agencies left out in the cold.

 

Friday, having seen details of those plans, City Hall hadn't much warmed up to the idea.

 

Mayor Charlie Luken, who learned of the announcement late Thursday and hadn't planned to attend, changed his mind Friday and lent his support - albeit cautious and measured - to the concept.

 

"Any time you're left out, you feel a little wounded," said Luken, a Democrat. "But the important thing is not who. It's what. And now we have a team and we'll move forward."

 

Hamilton County Commissioner Phil Heimlich, a Republican who appeared to be leading the newest development push, said he was glad Luken came.

 

 

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050611/NEWS01/506110375/1056

 

Vandercar's work hasn't impressed me and I'll be interested to see what they come up with.

 

I have faith in Corporex.

 

BTW...the Enquirer has a few renderings.  Not anything new, but they're worth looking at:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050610/NEWS01/306100006/1077

>Meg Olberding, a spokeswoman for City Manager Valerie Lemmie, said developing land intended for the parks could raise complications - "if indeed that's what this calls for."

 

An entirely pointless quote. 

 

I bought a paper copy of the Enquirer today, the same quote by Luken appears in two different articles on facing pages.  Otherwise decent reporting and layout (the crooked old conceptual drawing on the front was bad though) when there really wasn't too huge of a story here.  A news nerd might call me out and say county government "scooping" the port authority, the city, etc. and getting things rolling is a big story but things really haven't for sure started.  That the Enquirer gave two adless inside pages to this, as well as half the front page shows there's more than one person working there who is "excited" about the project.  I say that with hesitation because you have no idea without personally knowing the paper's staff what the mood there is about this project and the people involved.  One editor or writer can really make a difference regarding what is covered and what angle is taken. 

 

The timeline is mysteriously written with all sort of editorialization and reeks of having been thrown together when a story didn't come through:

 

"This plan is important because it links mass transit (bus and rail) with future parking garages that will support the Banks."

 

I don't think that the Transit Center really has anything to do at all with those parking garages.

 

"The plan is also critical because it's a way to easily move a lot of people into and out of the central riverfront and central business district."

 

?

 

"Urban Design Associates of Philadelphia draws up wide range of development options and concepts for the riverfront. The firm also designs the street grid that will connect the development with the anchors - Paul Brown Stadium, Great American Ball Park and the Freedom Center."

 

Uh, I wouldn't exactly call the Freedom Center an "anchor" when way more people go in and out of your average Walgreen's on a typical day.   

 

"One problem the firm must solve: how to connect the business district with the riverfront when the two are separated by a highway"

 

Get the 10 smartest people in the world and 10 Colerain sophomores and they would have come up with the same basic solution.  The dramatic use of the colon (pun intended?) is lifted from Newsweek's, Time's, etc., "excited" style and has no business in a newspaper or anywhere else.  Hey Enquirer if you're reading this hire me and I'll do a better job.       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^

Also, Urban Design Associates is not based in Philadelphia.  It is headquartered on Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh.  The Enquirer may be thinking of the firm Olin Partnership, which did the preliminary landscape design for the Fountain Square renovation.

That the Enquirer gave two adless inside pages to this, as well as half the front page shows there's more than one person working there who is "excited" about the project.  I say that with hesitation because you have no idea without personally knowing the paper's staff what the mood there is about this project and the people involved.  One editor or writer can really make a difference regarding what is covered and what angle is taken.

 

I noticed that too.

Sunday, June 12, 2005

Developers pull Banks coup

Deal with Hamilton County seizes riverfront initiative

 

By Gregory Korte

Enquirer staff writer

 

 

WHAT'S NEXT

Now that Hamilton County has named the Banks Development Corp. as its preferred developer for the Banks, officials hope the long-stalled development will move quickly:

 

• County officials will negotiate a contract with the developers, allowing them to do the architectural, engineering and design work on the office, retail and condo development.

 

• The developers will have 180 days to put together a viable plan. If they are unable to do so, the county can seek another developer.

 

• The development company hopes to begin construction of the ground-level parking garages as soon as spring 2006.

 

 

 

Anyone watching Cincinnati City Council last week would have come to the conclusion that the Banks - the long-sought riverfront development between the stadiums at the city's "front door" - was hopelessly stalled.

 

Mayor Charlie Luken blasted Hamilton County for its unwillingness to start building the parking garages necessary for the hotel, offices, shops and condos to come.

 

"The circumstance we find ourselves in now is unacceptable," he said. "And that is, the parties seem all ready to move forward, and it seems that the county is reluctant to take some steps that will get this moving."

 

Councilwoman Laketa Cole said she was tired of people complaining the city hasn't done anything about the Banks. "It's time for citizens to put pressure on the county," she said.

 

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050612/NEWS01/506120367

More on Corporex's Butler from the 6/11/05 Cincinnati Post:

 

 

Butler: 'We can pull the pieces together'

By Feoshia Henderson

Post staff reporter

 

Northern Kentucky developer Bill Butler has a message for those who doubt whether the long-awaited Banks development on Cincinnati's riverfront will ever become reality: gaze across the river.

 

"The only thing I can say is look at Northern Kentucky. They had five different developers before we came along," Butler said with a confident but reserved smile outside the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, where a Friday press conference had concluded.

 

"We know how to do it and we can pull the pieces together."

 

Butler has been the catalyst for much of the development along Covington's riverfront, distinguished by its trademark RiverCenter towers.

 

Now Hamilton County officials hope he can do the same for the stalled Banks project.

 

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050611/NEWS02/506110339/1011/RSS02

Cool!  Another layer of bureaucracy!  From the 6/13/05 Cincinnati Post:

 

 

Luken backs Banks board

Post staff report

 

Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken says he's ready to work with Hamilton County to establish a Banks Development Review Board.

 

The mayor said Sunday he's setting aside his disappointment that the county excluded the city from its new plan to build an entertainment, retail, office and residential center - called the Banks - on Cincinnati's downtown riverfront.

 

Luken also said he's foregoing his preference that an existing group be in charge of reviewing and approving Banks' projects and is going along with the county's proposal to organize a new review board.

 

"I am open to it," said the mayor. "And I'm not taking offense to anything that has been done."

 

Last week, when county officials selected developers for the long-delayed project and didn't give the city any input, Luken said, "We weren't in the loop, and you always feel a little wounded by that."

 

The city and county have been trying for the past five years to get the Banks project under way, and county commissioner Todd Portune said Sunday that the county "decided to really take control of this situation."

 

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050613/NEWS01/506130345

 

A great editorial from the Post, reiterating what I have been saying....

 

 

Taking over the riverfront

 

 

Hamilton County commissioners on Friday took what they described as "bold'' and "dramatic'' action to launch development of The Banks.

 

It certainly was dramatic action.

 

Whether it was bold, wise action remains to be seen. But the process leading up to the commissioners' decision doesn't inspire much confidence.

 

Indeed, at first blush this looks to be a bald effort by the county to take control of development along the downtown riverfront.

 

To be sure, there's been a lot of frustration throughout Greater Cincinnati about the lack of progress along the northern riverfront since the stadiums and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center were completed.

 

Much of the delay has been due to the Port Authority's insistence, only recently dropped, to tackle as much as possible all at once rather than starting with the two blocks in between Great American Ball Park and the Freedom Center.

 

Until now, the understanding has been that the county commissioners would be responsible for building the parking garages in the flood plain south of Second Street, and would do so in a way that supported the development above that would be handled by the city of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. and the Port Authority in accordance with the Urban Design Master Plan for The Banks that was developed by the city and county over the last five years.

 

 

Publication date: 06-11-2005

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050611/EDIT/506110312/1003

City Council blasts secret Banks deal

County needs Cincinnati OK on $600M project

 

By Gregory Korte

Enquirer staff writer

 

 

Smiles and handshakes on the north banks of the Ohio River last week gave way to snarling and finger-pointing Monday at City Hall, as Cincinnati City Council members accused Hamilton County of "back-door deals" in selecting a developer for the $600 million Banks project.

 

Monday's dramatic hearing of the Community Development, Education and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee followed Hamilton County's surprise announcement Friday that developers had offered $10 million for the rights to develop the 15-acre site between the sports stadiums.

 

But the county doesn't own all those rights, a fact that Mayor Charlie Luken made clear to county officials visiting City Hall on Monday.

 

"The question I would have is: Did you promise to the developer something that you don't own?" Luken said. "We need to figure out how to go back and fix a resolution between the county and a developer, when the city - the city - owns at least half the rights."

 

E-mail [email protected]

 

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050614/NEWS01/506140378/1056

An editorial from the Enquirer.....

 

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Editorial: All join in, put Banks on the map

 

Hamilton County commissioners offered Corporex's Bill Butler the chance to become King of the River here, and he accepted, pledging $10 million of his own for parking on Cincinnati's central waterfront.

 

Butler-built towers already line Covington's waterfront, and now the commissioners have given him and partner Rob Smyjunas of Vandercaar Holdings 180 days to negotiate a master developer agreement for a 15-acre swath on Cincinnati's side.

 

If all goes as expected, it will mean, after five years of anticipation, construction will finally begin on a mix of housing, retail, office and entertainment. The county's breathtakingly sudden public re-entry into the riverfront megaproject took Cincinnati leaders, the Port Authority and Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) by surprise.

 

 

This whole thing stinks of back room dealing.  I think the City should hold it up as long as it takes to make a point that underhanded politics is unacceptable. 

I'd disagree with that - well, it does seem political and all that, but to my mind, Council should assess the plan on its merits, regardless of whether they feel slighted or not.  I'd rather not see them hold the riverfront hostage just to make a point.