Posted May 10, 200520 yr Per today's Downtowner, the plans for the Central Riverfront park will be unveiled on Thursday May 12th. The meeting is at 5:00 pm in the Pavilion Building of the Ted Berry Int'l Friendship Park. I am definitely going to try to make it and will take as many pics of the renderings and plans as possible. The article goes on to say that the plan is to start construction in 2007 and $4.7 million has already been raised. If I remember correctly the construction cost I heard way back when was $70 million.
May 10, 200520 yr I wonder how it will be changed relative to the plan that's been on the Cincinnati website for an achingly long time: http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityparks/pages/-4326-/ I look forward to the info!
May 11, 200520 yr Ooo...exciting...I'd make it if I didn't have class...thanks for your pending reporterage!
May 11, 200520 yr Is this park something that will depend on those damn parking garages being built first?
May 11, 200520 yr No the park will lie in front of (i.e. closer to the river) than the garages. The only thing that may require some of the garages being completed first is parking requirements in the Reds and Bengals leases. Here are some images from the KZF website....
May 11, 200520 yr So Covington is going to build a Libeskind-designed residential tower at the foot of the Roebling Bridge, and Cincinnati's laying sod? Just kidding, I'm looking forward to seeing the plans for the park. Anything's gotta be better than the asphalt and garbage-strewn bank we have down there now.
May 11, 200520 yr ^ Kendall I have to agree with you on that. Although sadly while these renderings offer nothing spectacular, we all know even this modest project will not be completed to look like the first rendering.
May 11, 200520 yr How great would it be to live at ascent, and be able to walk to riverfront park. Very cool. I know they were talking about extending ground into the river. They did this in Louisville, and their riverfront park is great. Right out in the water.
May 11, 200520 yr this would be the greatest project for cincinnati to complete (in my opinion). but as we've seen, they could destroy it and take 10 years to do it. and in teh end, we'll just get yellow party lights hanging on strings.
May 12, 200520 yr Riverfront park to be a 'magnet' $78M project would add fountains, gardens, trails By Gregory Korte Enquirer staff writer The Cincinnati Park Board will unveil updated plans today for its most ambitious project ever: a $78 million park along the Ohio River that would open in 2008. It's really dozens of attractions in one. The park would include water gardens, viewing terraces, promenades, playgrounds, flower gardens and a meadow.
May 12, 200520 yr Another article on the park.. Riverfront park to be a 'magnet' $78M project would add fountains, gardens, trails By Gregory Korte Enquirer staff writer The Cincinnati Park Board will unveil updated plans today for its most ambitious project ever: a $78 million park along the Ohio River that would open in 2008. It's really dozens of attractions in one. The park would include water gardens, viewing terraces, promenades, playgrounds, flower gardens and a meadow.
May 12, 200520 yr Can always could on CiNYC for great execution. Anyway it is nice to see Queen City Square in the rendering!
May 12, 200520 yr OK, The_Cincinnati_Kid should be home by now typing up all the details and getting his pics in order. Right?
May 13, 200520 yr Cut me some slack man! I just got home from a dinner with the wife. Anyway, the meeting was pretty informative, they had reps from the Park Board, Sasaki, and the Army Corps of Engineers. There are only a few major changes. The biggest of which is the two small trapezoidal shaped blocks closest to the river and both stadiums are now going to contain development instead of park setting (between Main and Walnut, and Vine and Race, south of Ted Berry Way). I thought the reasons were pretty good: First, originally this park was going to be set up to host all the big downtown events (Oktoberfest, Taste of Cincy, Chilifest, Party in the Park, etc.) Through public input and other meetings, it was felt that keeping the events where they are is a better use. The core downtown festivals work well in the streets and help retailers, and with all the improvements made to Bicentennial Commons and Sawyer Point in the last several years, the new park would just be duplicating the space. Furthermore, at first glance the map looks like the entire block will be development similar to the rest of the Banks. This is not the case, the development is more geared toward maybe one or two restaurants on each block with expansive outdoor seating plazas. Just south of the western one, they added a sweet circular overlook (see maps and renderings). The other nice change was the water features located just south of the Freedom Center park. This is where the retaining wall is and the elevation changes from near river level to second street level. If you look at the pic with all the renderings, you can see several waterfall/cascading options, these will surround the entrance/exit of the Roebling bridge creating a kick ass gateway. There is also a large water feature planned at the base of Main St. The entire project also will widen the greenspace between GABP and the river and will accomodate two bike trails that will connect with the rest of the riverfront parks and eventually stretch to Lunken airport and the Loveland Bike Trail. This thing is full of spelling errors (Pyatt, Proctor, Arnoff) Bonus Pics Cornerstone at Norwood Twain's Point (there are two more buildings under construction just past the U/C one with the white exterior, it looks as if that will fill this portion of the sight. Props to Towne Properties for finally getting something done down there. I also believe the buildings look much better in person, especially the massing, than the site plan showed. If anyone has any other questions, please let me know.
May 13, 200520 yr Great to see the coverings of Fort Washington Way are still in the plan. I think that is key to connecting the city back to the riverfront. I know there has been several news articles indicating allotments of state and federal money for the development of the park, but I know it doesn't amount to 78 million. Any idea what the financing gap is, how much in fed/state is allocated, and what we are going to need from the city/county to make this happen. I guess the target date of 2007 to start doesn't give me any warm feelings. It's just really disappointing that it's going to probably be another year and a half before any dirt is turned for the Banks or the park...
May 13, 200520 yr I can't wait until it's built. I'll just ride my bike to the train station in downtown loveland and... Oh that's right. Well let's hope we build this. Everytime I see something cool that's supposed to happen in Cincincinnati I temper my excitement with the words "light rail." This would be great for the city, for sure.
May 13, 200520 yr very nice indeed. i was never aware that they were going to actually build on the coverings over fww...an awesome idea. i just thought it was going to be additional greenspace. also the thought of an eventual loveland bike trail connection is amazing. cannot wait to see some action
May 13, 200520 yr if this is vision then call me blind. i promise i'm not trying to be negative. just thoroughly unimpressed.
May 13, 200520 yr Excitement, skepticism greet riverfront plan Dozens of attractions would open in 2008 By Maggie Downs Enquirer staff writer Janet Evans lives, works and spends her free time downtown, so she's excited about the possibility of a $78 million park along the Ohio River. But she's skeptical. "Of course the city will finish this project. And then I'll take the subway there," she said, referring to Cincinnati's long-abandoned subway project.
May 13, 200520 yr OK, The Cincinnati Kid, I was at the meeting. Who were you? I was the fella in the Detroit Tigers hat (also seen in the background of the Enquirer photo). As for the design, it's not Millenium Park, but I like it. Besides, MP was many years late and way over budget, despite massive corporate sponsorship. It's also got problems with materials. I think that this space will be in some ways more striking than MP, owing to the sight-lines, and the river. Back to Cincinnati, I dig all of the design changes and refinements. Some (obnoxious) lady at the meeting complained that the greenspace was being stripped away, both on the FWW caps, and in the southern blocks T_C_K mentioned. I applaud that move actually; we've already got great lawns over in Yeatman's and Sawyer. The decision to leave the events where they are is excellent. I kept hearing in the comments, from that lady and others, a disturbing parochialism in the view that this somehow threatens downtown. That's just plain silly. Does Millenium Park in Chicago take activity away from Michigan Ave? Absurd. The waterfalls bracketing the bridge will be great, and the Race street "pier" is excellent too. I've got close-up pics of those elements, if anyone would like to see them, I can try and figure out how to post pics.
May 13, 200520 yr Cincinnati Kid, you get lots of praise for getting us the personal scoop. I hope they still plan on building condo's there. That would be a great place to live, I can only imagine they would go for top dollar though. Might be one of the most sought after condo's in the city. You would have excitement every night. BTW, cramer I had a feeling that was one of our forumers in that photo. Nice cameo ;)
May 13, 200520 yr Cramer, I was sitting in the back row right in front of the sign-in table. I have black hair and was wearing jeans and a light blue long-sleeve shirt. I took most of my photos before the meeting, took about three right after everyone stood up, then bolted. If you want me to host your photos, PM me and I will send you my email address.
May 13, 200520 yr Yes, thanks Cincinnati Kid for all the detailed and pics. In the meeting did they say the FWW coverings are definite? I do have a bit more info on Twain's Point. They had an open house on Mother's Day (hey it beats buying flowers). Only 8 left to sell out of 26 or so. They are selling in the 600K to 700K range. They plan another patch of condos further east and some cheaper condos near the firehouse (300K plus). The views are great especially from the third floor master bedroom, but the back of the units on right on top of Columbia Pkwy. The triple panel Pella windows do work, but once you open that back door . . . Also there isn't really an easy way to cross Eastern Ave to get to the Freedom Park. BTW, that last sculpture isn't up yet.
May 13, 200520 yr They didn't really talk much about the FWW lids, just showed them on the diagrams and said they are part of the plan and the support footers are already in place. My guess is that they will either be the last thing added or the first thing to go based on the budget (as much as I think they are an integral part of the connection).
May 14, 200520 yr I like this proposal alot. I like the "great lawn" idea with its openness to the river and unobstructed views. I hope they dont put too many trees like I sometimes feel there is in Sawyer Point, I almost feel trapped sometimes there. As far as the comparisens to Millenium Park, I think it's actually better than M.P. if done like the blueprint calls for. While seeing a concert at MP could be cool there really isnt a whole lot else to do there and it feels too orderly to really be able to play on, almost like you're affraid to mess up the grass. There isn't a lot of retail or restaurants right near the park, you have to go north a little bit to reach those. The public art is very nice there though so I hope that is in the Plan for the central riverfront park here too. Oh yeah...it would be nice if the river was actually blue like it is in all the rednerings...instead we're stuck with the "shit brown" color.
May 14, 200520 yr The missing link is the one between this park and Yeatmans Cove/Sawyer Point......if I was desgining it I would really focus on that connection or try to "make the connection" somehow.... OK, not super avant garde, but they have some intimate spaces in it based on the sketches...also, interesting a how they break from the formal allee to a "savannah" informal woodland transition to the lawn.. ...not quite the "Grant Park" solution, but they still keep the "urban front yard concept" I just think the opportunity to connect this park with the other riverfront parks to the east was lost...
May 14, 200520 yr ^^ Well, there is a short strip between the new park and the parks to the east that's wide enough for jogging, biking, etc. It's right on the water with the steamboat monument and the public landing. It's also lined with trees. So while it could be more "parky" and a better connection, unless you move the ballpark or fill in the river (or close Mehring Way and significantly alter traffic) it's certainly a pretty decent compromise.
May 14, 200520 yr I've been thinking about that strip in front of GABP too. I think I mentioned in another post somewhere that I thought they could do something really cool there. (Or at least something that I thought would be cool.) I was thinking that if they had to build a new flood wall there or even if they didn't, that it would be cool to have a huge lighted sign or lighted letters inside the wall ( or outside the wall ) spelling CINCINNATI or QUEEN CITY or even YEATMAN"S COVE. I thought it might look neat from the Kentucky side. I don't know, maybe it's cheesey. You could rip me on it if you want, it won't hurt my feelings. I was also thinking that they could kinda go historical and place a tavern called 'SQUARE AND COMPASS' by Main St. The original SQUARE AND COMPASS was owned by Griffin Yeatman whom Yeatman's Cove is named after.
May 14, 200520 yr I like the tavern idea. Not so sure about the lighted sign, though. It would look too much like Newport on the Levee's "Newport" sign....
May 14, 200520 yr Cramer is right about the woman at the meeting. She claimed that 10 acres of riverfront land was not enough greenspace because she works in Chris Monzel's office and she had lived on 20 acres as a child. I don't know how those factors are all related but they formed the crux of her argument. But don't worry, I got the impression that she definitely was in the minority when it came to dismissing the plan. Here's a few things I took away from the meeting: 1) I'm glad they're not trying to erect any central signature piece that would take away from the Roebling. Instead, I think the current waterfall idea will nicely complement the approach into Cincinnati. 2) I found it a bit disappointing that the fountain to the east did not appear to evidence out-of-the-box thinking. At least from the renderings, it looked like your average square, ground-level fountain that shoots water. I would like to see something original, something people want to come down to just so they can take their picture in front of it. 3) The two northern sections which the Banks project proposes to consume reminded me of an idea thrown out earlier by Banks officials. They wanted to do something like Tavern on the Green where it's more of a park bistro. That would be a great draw and, in my opinion, a better use of the land than simply an extra acre of grass. Also, it would allow the area to retain its park-like qualities. 4) I spoke with one of the transportation officials working in conjunction with the parks department. He confirmed the project would most likely be done in phases to complement the Banks' development rather than in one fell swoop. So, the park would develop from east to west. The east sections will probably get done but the timeline for the western sections will be less certain for two major reasons. First, the Bengals contract with the County requires that they have 5,000 gameday parking spaces within a given radius and, for some reason, parking spaces east of the Freedom Center do not count towards that total. Thus, aside from the obvious funding issue, this is a major bone of contention. Developing the western section of both the Banks and riverfront park will immediately take a majority of the required spots offline for at least a couple years. Second, a concrete company sits on the western tip of the proposed park and, although they have agreed to eventually sell, they aren't going anywhere as long as there's the Banks to be built. The two issues have to be solved before this thing will ever be completed. 5) Finally, the presentation really glossed over the whole funding issue, although I got there a bit late and could have missed it. The presenters seemed to be operating on the assumption that Congress will vote for the funding, even though one of the presenters admitted Congress hasn't doled out that kind of money since 9-11. But, the presenters were optimistic about the funding, so I'm going to be optimistic about the funding.
May 15, 200520 yr Wouldn't adding all the garages under the banks take care of the parking requirement?
May 19, 200520 yr Glad to see that they now plan to develop the space north of Mehring Way. As I've also suggested they should develop the block south of the Freedom Center. That lawn is going to get about as much use as the fenced plaza south of Government Square, which is to say none.
May 19, 200520 yr As I've also suggested they should develop the block south of the Freedom Center. That lawn is going to get about as much use as the fenced plaza south of Government Square, which is to say none. Hallelujah! Been saying the same myself.
May 25, 200520 yr From the 5/25/05 Cincinnati Post: Riverfront park plan lands $500,000 grant $2B project is near Suspension Bridge By Elizabeth Troutman Post staff reporter Downtown Cincinnati's development of a riverfront "front yard" inched closer to reality Tuesday as U.S. Representative Steve Chabot announced $500,000 in federal funding for the $2 billion riverfront project. The funding for the Central Riverfront Park, which was requested by Chabot in March, is provided by the Energy and Water Development fund and the Related Agencies Appropriation Act for Fiscal Year 2006. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050525/NEWS01/505250355
September 26, 200519 yr Park Board enlists Army Corps for riverfront project Dan Monk Senior Staff Reporter The Cincinnati Park Board took a big step toward paying for its $80 million central riverfront park by "federalizing" it. Under a new contract, signed Sept. 13 between the city of Cincinnati and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency has agreed to pay for 75 percent of all design costs up to $8.7 million. As final designs are drawn, the city and the Corps would have to secure additional funding to begin construction on the $60 million first phase. Both groups are hoping to make that happen by 2007. http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2005/09/26/story6.html
November 18, 200519 yr From the 11/17/05 Cincinnati Post: $250K grant for park on river By Tony Cook Post staff reporter A $30.5 billion federal energy and water appropriations bill passed this week by the U.S. Senate will provide thousands of dollars for local projects. Cincinnati's planned Central Riverfront Park received $250,000 in the bill passed Monday. The park is planned along the Ohio River west of Broadway and east of Interstate 75. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051117/NEWS01/511170343
January 29, 200619 yr This was buried in the paper, but I ran across it and thought I'd pass it along. I wonder who the donor is? RIVERFRONT PARK GETS $1M GIFT The Central Riverfront Park - a centerpiece of the proposed Banks development between the two downtown sports stadiums along the Ohio River - took a step forward Wednesday. Actually, it took a million steps forward. An anonymous donor wrote a $1 million check to the Cincinnati Parks Foundation and asked that the money be used specifically for the $80 million riverfront park. The donation brings the total raised to $2.75 million after the Ohio Department of Natural Resources kicked in $1 million and said it will contribute $750,000 more next month. City officials also have asked the federal and state governments to contribute to the project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has taken over design of the park because of its proximity to the Ohio River. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060119/NEWS01/601190372/1056
January 29, 200619 yr Good news! I wonder what aspects of the park's design the corps is taking over. I hope they stick to the plans drawn up by the park board. It would be great to see this park get started. They'd better not be waiting for The Banks.
January 29, 200619 yr ^ Agree Tom, I was by the riverfront today and this project crossed my mind. Thanks Grasscat for finding out some news on what is currently going on.
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