August 22, 201410 yr I think the Hotel design may be filler. The actual design will flush out when they get an operator who brings in their specific designs to the project. I think many of us have been saying for years that one of Newport On the Levee's biggest issues (besides some bizarre second floor design choices) is the lack of a residential base in the area. I'm convinced that adding an additional 300 residents next to NOTL will only help the development. From DT and OTR riding a bike to NOTL is incredibly easy. Having 300+ new residents adjacent to it may bring in some higher quality vendors making the entire development move from attractive building materials with little purpose to something that blends suburban amenities in an urban setting. That parking lot was the biggest waste of space ever anyway. Also, I'd bet a sizable amount of the residents of these apartments use Purple People bridge to get to jobs downtown. Happy this is finally happening. As an aside, Monmouth Row, 2 blocks up the street is finished and will add ~130 new residents to Newport's downtown. The design is mostly decent, and of course, significantly better than the nearly block sized surface lot that it replaced.
August 22, 201410 yr I think the Hotel design may be filler. The actual design will flush out when they get an operator who brings in their specific designs to the project. I think many of us have been saying for years that one of Newport On the Levee's biggest issues (besides some bizarre second floor design choices) is the lack of a residential base in the area. I'm convinced that adding an additional 300 residents next to NOTL will only help the development. From DT and OTR riding a bike to NOTL is incredibly easy. Having 300+ new residents adjacent to it may bring in some higher quality vendors making the entire development move from attractive building materials with little purpose to something that blends suburban amenities in an urban setting. That parking lot was the biggest waste of space ever anyway. Also, I'd bet a sizable amount of the residents of these apartments use Purple People bridge to get to jobs downtown. Happy this is finally happening. As an aside, Monmouth Row, 2 blocks up the street is finished and will add ~130 new residents to Newport's downtown. The design is mostly decent, and of course, significantly better than the nearly block sized surface lot that it replaced. Would be a great location for a Red Bike Location.
August 23, 201410 yr This is What the New Development at Newport on the Levee Will Look Like Much better than the parking lot that is there now! A little taller would be nice of course.
August 23, 201410 yr I think there's some scale issues with that rendering. It's a 7 story building but it looks more like 4, or else those are some big-ass cars!
August 23, 201410 yr Would be a great location for a Red Bike Location. Totally agree. I can think of two or three spots that would be perfect for that in Newport alone. I really hope that Newport and Covington get on board with the bikeshare in the near future.
August 23, 201410 yr Would be a great location for a Red Bike Location. Totally agree. I can think of two or three spots that would be perfect for that in Newport alone. I really hope that Newport and Covington get on board with the bikeshare in the near future. The word is next year.
October 27, 201410 yr Levee to unveil big development plans Bowdeya Tweh, [email protected] 12:05 a.m. EDT October 27, 2014 Harold Dull has had a front-row seat to the expansion of entertainment options on both sides of the Ohio River since 2010. As general manager of Newport on the Levee, Dull’s main responsibility is running one of Northern Kentucky’s most popular tourism and retail destinations. And although competition appears to be mounting for customers, the Levee sees an opportunity to better define its position in the region. http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2014/10/27/levee-unveil-big-developments/17984367/
October 27, 201410 yr Nice! Actually, that hotel has some signature elements of Aloft brand hotels. I wonder if they're trying to lure them?
October 27, 201410 yr Why not bring the building to the street corner instead of leaving a parking lot there? Gah...
October 27, 201410 yr The site plan seems to be decent for this phase until the moment you get to that corner and the hotel is flipped from how it should be. Internalize the parking and it improves dramatically.
October 28, 201410 yr I'm not sure that is intended parking on the corner. If you look closely, the painted lines on the asphalt go right into the building itself. Looking at the current Google Map/Earth aerial, it just looks like it was lazyness on the renders part, who didn't bother to replace the base: http://goo.gl/maps/LdbpF
October 28, 201410 yr http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2014/10/27/levee-unveil-big-developments/17984367/ Levee to unveil big development plans [...] Next month, officials at the Levee are expected to hold a news conference and share details about what the future will be for the 13-year-old retail, restaurant and entertainment destination. The stakes are high as the Levee prepares for its second act and evolves with the changing retail landscape. [...] Part of that plan requires an extension of a state sales tax incentive agreement to invest up to $5 million to the property. The other part involves a Levee partnership with Downtown Cincinnati-based developer Capital Investment Group to build 238 upscale apartments, an 800-space parking garage, a hotel and 8,200 square feet of retail space. [...] Construction activity on the $80 million project – located on what’s now a parking lot east of the Levee along Third Street – could begin before year’s end, according to Capital Investment Group. In April, Kentucky tourism officials approved $8 million in tax incentives for a proposed $33-million, 150-room hotel.
November 20, 201410 yr Aqua on the Levee 'to create a lifestyle unequaled in the region' Nov 20, 2014, 2:00pm EST Tom Demeropolis Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier The $80 million expansion of Newport on the Levee, Aqua on the Levee, broke ground on Thursday. The project, which will include 238 luxury one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, 8,300 square feet of retail space, an 800-car parking garage, and the region's first Aloft hotel, is being developed by Cincinnati-based Capital Investment Group Inc. The multi-family development company will build the project on a three-acre surface parking lot just east of Newport on the Levee. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/11/20/aqua-on-the-levee-to-create-a-lifestyle-unequaled.html
November 20, 201410 yr Newport on the Levee expansion bringing new hotel brand to Cincinnati region Nov 20, 2014, 1:00pm EST Tom Demeropolis Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier The $80 million expansion of Newport on the Levee, Aqua on the Levee, will include the Greater Cincinnati region's first Aloft hotel, the Business Courier has learned. Currently there are no Aloft hotels in Kentucky, but one is scheduled to open in Louisville in November 2015. There are only two in Ohio. The closest Aloft hotels are in the Cleveland area, with another scheduled to open in Columbus in February 2017. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/11/20/newport-on-the-levee-expansion-bringing-first.html
November 20, 201410 yr Damn, I was really holding out for the Banks hotel to be an Aloft. Oh well, guess that's out of the question now.
November 20, 201410 yr The Banks was talking to Aloft at one point. In fact, a certain former mayor even told me that the hotel at The Banks was going to be Aloft. So either Cincinnati dropped the ball or Newport came to them with a great deal.
November 20, 201410 yr Damn, I was really holding out for the Banks hotel to be an Aloft. Oh well, guess that's out of the question now. Yeah this is really a bummer. An Aloft in the banks would have been a kick in the :behind: for the Cincinnati hotels (ahem, Millennium) that are really falling behind.
November 20, 201410 yr The Banks was talking to Aloft at one point. In fact, a certain former mayor even told me that the hotel at The Banks was going to be Aloft. So either Cincinnati dropped the ball or Newport came to them with a great deal. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess it was both. Cincinnati elected a man who is against any deal with a hotelier and Newport is so hungry for development they offered them the deal we refused to give them.
November 20, 201410 yr Nice! Actually, that hotel has some signature elements of Aloft brand hotels. I wonder if they're trying to lure them? Nailed it! I'm actually really glad we didn't end up with an Aloft at the Banks. They're really cheap wannabe-chic hotels. PERFECT fit at the Levee. It would've fit well at the Banks next to that awful architecture too, but I'm holding my breath for something better.
November 20, 201410 yr ^Unless it was like the one in the Flats in Cleveland. That one seems to be a step above the rest architecturally. That development's quality is like what The Banks wants to be. I get that we're not in a stage quite yet where we can have renowned architects designing everything, but there are so many better, alternative affordable options out there. Cleveland has companies like Dimit Architecture and we have CR and K4. Yay...
November 20, 201410 yr Nice! Actually, that hotel has some signature elements of Aloft brand hotels. I wonder if they're trying to lure them? Nailed it! I'm actually really glad we didn't end up with an Aloft at the Banks. They're really cheap wannabe-chic hotels. PERFECT fit at the Levee. It would've fit well at the Banks next to that awful architecture too, but I'm holding my breath for something better. Good call :) I think it's a good fit for the Levee, but I don't see why the longer part can't be fronting the street. Just twist it 180 degrees!
November 20, 201410 yr ^Unless it was like the one in the Flats in Cleveland. That one seems to be a step above the rest architecturally. That development's quality is like what The Banks wants to be. I get that we're not in a stage quite yet where we can have renowned architects designing everything, but there are so many better, alternative affordable options out there. Cleveland has companies like Dimit Architecture and we have CR and K4. Yay... Nah. I've stayed at Aloft in Milwaukee, Minneapolis and The Loop and I've been inside the one in Cleveland. They've all got contemporary styling but cheap materials. It's the discount brand of W Hotels.
November 20, 201410 yr True, but I'm more concerned with the quality of the exterior of the building I guess. The interiors are designed to be replaced often since they're trendy and trends die out quickly. It comes with the territory of a budget brand. I'm just concerned we don't have many viable options at The Banks. What brands are there that don't already have a Downtown presence that are of the price point that we are looking to attract?
November 21, 201410 yr Why don't we one-up the Levee with a W? It's a PRIME location right across the street from an MLB park, in front of a streetcar stop with skyline and river views. Why the hell would we settle for some discount hotel there? Le Meridien JW Marriott Loews A boutique by Kimpton or Autograph Collection (I would say Aparium, but Covington beat us too it.)
November 21, 201410 yr The Terrace Plaza should be a W, to be honest. I'm with you on the latter group. A Kimpton or a JW would be nice at The Banks. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 21, 201410 yr "It is our intention to create a lifestyle unequaled in the region with this development, in much the same fashion as we did with SouthShore condominiums." This sentence amuses me.
November 21, 201410 yr I'm sorry, I will not be able to hear the name "Aqua on the Levee" without thinking of this: www.cincinnatiideas.com
November 21, 201410 yr I can't picture anything other than a bunch of old men around a table trying to come up with ideas and someone going, "new development...it's on the levee...there's the river...the river is water...water on the levee...not fancy sounding enough...AQUA ON THE LEVEE!!!" and a bunch of people applauding his creative genius.
November 21, 201410 yr LOL. Would this be akin to Leaves on the Tree? Dirt on the Ground? Trash in the Skip?
November 21, 201410 yr Water under the Bridge... “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
November 21, 201410 yr Water under the Bridge... You should send that in to whoever is supposedly developing the hotel on the Purple People Bridge.
November 21, 201410 yr I can't picture anything other than a bunch of old men around a table trying to come up with ideas and someone going, "new development...it's on the levee...there's the river...the river is water...water on the levee...not fancy sounding enough...AQUA ON THE LEVEE!!!" and a bunch of people applauding his creative genius. Hey, at least it's not "AQUA @ the Levee"
November 21, 201410 yr Also, am I the only person who thinks that's a pretty odd name? You don't exactly want water on that side of the levee...
November 21, 201410 yr I can't picture anything other than a bunch of old men around a table trying to come up with ideas and someone going, "new development...it's on the levee...there's the river...the river is water...water on the levee...not fancy sounding enough...AQUA ON THE LEVEE!!!" and a bunch of people applauding his creative genius. Hey, at least it's not "AQUA @ the Levee" AQWA@theLeVee
November 22, 201410 yr Also, am I the only person who thinks that's a pretty odd name? You don't exactly want water on that side of the levee... www.cincinnatiideas.com
November 22, 201410 yr "It is our intention to create a lifestyle unequaled in the region with this development, in much the same fashion as we did with SouthShore condominiums." This sentence amuses me. Same group owns and renovated the nice building at 224 E. 8th st. Cincy. So if it is in NKY it has to be bad, LOL. South Shore is a great building.
November 24, 201410 yr I think South Shore is a great building. I'm not sure it "created a lifestyle unequaled in the region."
November 24, 201410 yr Someday all new residential projects are going to be named a series of mathematical equations.
January 2, 201510 yr Could one of our resident photographers grab a nice shot showing all the cranes on both riverfronts? Would be a sweet pic! Another giant crane has been added to the riverfront Dec 30, 2014, 12:20pm EST Erin Caproni Digital Producer- Cincinnati Business Courier A month after construction began on a new, $80 million development at Newport on the Levee, visitors can already see big progress. A 120-foot tower crane has been erected at the site east of the arcade where there used to be a surface parking lot to build Aqua on the Levee. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2014/12/30/another-giant-crane-has-been-added-to-the.html
February 8, 201510 yr One Levee restaurant closes, another expands Claddagh Irish Pub closed, Levee management announced on Tuesday. Bar Louie will expand into the space. [...] Claddagh business had been stable over the past year but needed more investment to compete with the Banks across the river, said Justin O'Driscoll, director of operations for Claddagh, basea chain based near Cleveland.
February 8, 201510 yr BTW, this is the "About Newport on the Levee" blurb from the bottom of their press releases: Newport on the Levee is a multi-level urban retail entertainment center located strategically across from downtown Cincinnati on the south bank of the Ohio River in Newport, Kentucky. Drawing approximately 3.5 million people per year, Newport on the Levee is the most popular attraction in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area – supported by research performed by Northern Kentucky University’s marketing department. Voted by Zagat as the #1 Mall/Shopping Attraction for Families in the United States, the Levee features a variety of entertainment options such as the 20-screen AMC Theater, the award-winning Newport Aquarium, Axis Alley boutique bowling lounge, GameWorks, and the Funny Bone Comedy Club; several national and regional restaurant brands such as Dick’s Last Resort, Brio Tuscan Grille, Mitchell’s Fish Market, and Brothers Bar & Grill; creative class office tenants i-wireless, Intrinzic, Constellation Brands and Comstock Valuation, along with several specialty shops, carts and kiosks. For more information, visit www.newportonthelevee.com, sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, and get connected with the Levee on Facebook and Twitter. Umm, no, it's not.
February 9, 201510 yr Photos from yesterday: Could one of our resident photographers grab a nice shot showing all the cranes on both riverfronts? Would be a sweet pic! I can't think of a vantage point that would get NOTL and The Banks cranes in the same shot. If anyone else can, let me know.
February 9, 201510 yr I know of one off the top of my head: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Cincinnati,+OH&ll=39.088544,-84.481647&spn=0.001368,0.00284&cid=7636836732440187671&hnear=Cincinnati,+Hamilton+County,+Ohio&t=m&z=19&layer=c&cbll=39.088474,-84.48222&panoid=_S8R50YhLcC1jOP1CY64mQ&cbp=12,307.77,,0,2.31 "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 9, 201510 yr And "Voted by Zagat as the #1 Mall/Shopping Attraction for Families in the United States..." WTF?
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