CINCINNATI — Cincinnati and Hamilton County leaders had vastly different reactions to a new design plan for finally developing nine acres of empty lots at The Banks during separate meetings on Tuesday.
Urban planners first unveiled the plan update at the commissioners’ staff meeting Tuesday morning, where one commissioner openly criticized it, another questioned the height of two proposed high-rise buildings and the third said the development was not a priority for her.
"What makes it special is you can see the river, you can see the water. So why would we have these high rises where only the super-rich can see the water?" said Commissioner Alicia Reece.
Later in the day, the same plan was presented to Cincinnati City Council's Equitable Growth & Housing Committee, where it seemed to be supported.
"I am beyond excited of where we are ... we should go big or go home," said council member Meeka Owens. "This is truly transformative."
Council member Seth Walsh said he wondered whether the two high-rise buildings were tall enough at 24 stories, and another two mid-rise buildings at 11 stories.
"Height is something we shouldn't be afraid of, especially at The Banks," Walsh said.
During the morning meeting, a 3D model sat in the middle of the Hamilton County Commissioners' meeting room.
The presentation shows the plans have changed a bit since our I-Team obtained preliminary images from a June 24th presentation to The Banks Urban Design Steering Committee.
The new plan shows the addition of several different plaza spaces dotted throughout the riverfront, including a tailgate plaza near the river and a new fan plaza near Paycor Stadium.
It also includes new plazas outside of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and near the Black Music Walk of Fame. The plaza outside of the Freedom Center, under this proposal, would also include the potential for a "festival street" on Freedom Way, which could be closed to traffic for large-scale events.
Developers also proposed a place for a permanent Ferris wheel on the southern end of the Freedom Center plaza.
Ideas that were little changed from the June presentation included building high-rise mixed-use complexes near Paycor Stadium that would include residential and retail space, along with an area designated for a new hotel.
Those high-rises would create what the developers called a "stepped skyline" around Paycor Stadium.
Overall, developers said they aimed to create over 1,000 new luxury and market-rate condominiums and apartments in the high-rises. At the same time, retail operations such as small grocery stores and pharmacies would occupy the ground level.
Office space was not highly prioritized because developers said the current market demand doesn't support expanding that type of space.
The high-rise buildings would also add roughly 2.1 to 2.5 million square feet of new vertical development at The Banks, the urban planners said.
“We think more people can call the Banks home. There's a housing demand component to this; having more people at the Banks would help from an economic standpoint, and more eyes on the street, too," said Andrew Broderick, associate principal and the Perkins & Will firm.
WATCH: What commissioners and council members said about the plans Tuesday
In all, the planners said they expected all the changes proposed for The Banks would be a roughly 5-15-year endeavor, with some lots being fully developed in around 10 years based on the current market.
The overall cost to develop five of the parcels proposed would be $750 to $800 million, and would require public subsidies to offset, according to the proposal.
"It's going to require public investment," said Mark Kubacyzk, director of HR&A Advisors.
One of the largest public projects would be the completion of the riverfront garage, which The Banks Project Executive Phil Beck estimated would cost between $25 and $30 million.
Beck said that the city and county, which own The Banks jointly, are set to meet on Friday to discuss cash flows for the remaining infrastructure.
Other public projects could include funding "public place making" around plazas and streetscapes, and expanding riverfront trails and floodwalls, Broderick said.
Following the presentation, all three Hamilton County commissioners were critical of the plan proposed.
Commission President Denise Driehaus expressed concern about the height of the high-rise buildings proposed and whether a new hotel at The Banks was necessary.
After the meeting, however, she issued a statement in support of elements of the presentation.
"The Urban Design Review Committee has given us a strong foundation to finally complete The Banks," Driehaus said in the statement. "I’m especially excited to see recommendations that emphasize residential, mixed-use space and a vibrant community where our small businesses can truly thrive. This is our front door to Cincinnati and Hamilton County — and finishing these final lots is essential to making it as welcoming and dynamic as it deserves to be."
Stephanie Summerow-Dumas said she doesn't believe developing The Banks is a priority for the county right now.
"I believe that we need to put something on those lots, but this is not a priority for me," Dumas said. "It's been 25 years, maybe it needs to be 25 more, I don't know."
Dumas also said she was concerned about the height of the proposed high-rises and whether developers had fully studied the impacts that buildings of that size would have on the surrounding areas. She pointed out that, while a selling point for condos at that height would be a view of the river, the riverfront view should remain unobscured for everyone, not just those who can afford those spaces.
Alicia Reece also dismissed many aspects of the plan, telling presenters that it's difficult to entertain an $800 million development plan now. She said that the county's budget is tight at the moment, and its cost projection spans at least a decade, during which time the overall price could change drastically.
"I think the timing is off to be looking at The Banks right now," Reece said.
She also called it "disrespectful" to put a Ferris wheel and festival space outside of the National Underground Freedom Center.
"It has been there, but it's an afterthought," Reece said. "We wanna put Ferris wheels in front of it, we wanna put stages with people twerking in front of it, we want people drinking and falling out in front of it and I think it's downright disrespectful. It's downright disrespectful. We wouldn't do it for anything else. I would be standing up right now if you had the Holocaust museum and you were trying to put a Ferris wheel in front of it, I would stand up and say 'no way.'"
Reece also criticized the plaza proposed at the Black Music Walk of Fame, telling developers she thinks a plaza would hide the display rather than highlight it.
She was also skeptical of whether people would want to purchase condos in an area so near noisy activity like concerts at the ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park, a DORA district and the stadiums.
Some preliminary images from the June presentation are no longer being considered, according to a county spokesperson.
It is unclear whether height restrictions contained in the Cincinnati Bengals' lease with the county could allow the team to reject a proposed high-rise near Paycor Stadium, such as the luxury residential buildings suggested.
Business owners have been pleading with elected leaders to develop the vacant lots after more than a decade of waiting in an effort to draw visitors to the riverfront when the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals aren’t playing home games.
Commissioners voted in April to hire two urban planning firms, Chicago-based Perkins & Will and Over-the-Rhine’s MKSK, to lead a planning process for The Banks to be built out.
The project is being overseen by an urban design steering committee that includes representatives from the city, county and stadium tenants.
WATCH: We talked to Mayor Aftab Pureval in May about what The Banks is missing
Documents obtained by our I-Team through public records requests shed light on how the process to reimagine The Banks took shape this summer.
The consultants held a virtual meeting on June 9, attended by representatives from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Heritage Bank Arena, the Brady Music venue, The Current & The Radius, The Filson, Yard House, 191 Rosa Parks, 180 Walnut, AC Hotel, Moerlein Lager House, the Bengals and the Reds.
The feedback from those stakeholders was reviewed at the June 24 meeting at Great American Ball Park.
“Safety: Top priority. There’s a ‘hands-off’ perception. More visible, human-scale policing (bike/foot patrols) is needed. Public realm: Maintenance issues, underutilized spaces, and need for consistent upgrades (e.g., synthetic turf, lighting, wayfinding). Freedom Way: Reimagining this street as a pedestrian boulevard or linear park emerged as a top ‘quick win,’” were the top recurring themes listed in the presentation.
Other themes included brand identity, connectivity and river access.
The biggest threats to The Banks were listed as “lack of coordination” or “lack of vision,” “current economic environment” or “lack of funding,” “public perception and willingness to take the necessary steps to enhance public safety,” and “fragmented/large stakeholder group” or “politics,” according to the June 24 presentation.
HR&A was set to begin a financial feasibility analysis of new development at The Banks in August, including public-private financing options.
The Banks Urban Design Steering Committee is comprised of Billy Weber, Markiea Carter, Katherine Keough-Jurs, Marion Haynes, Holly Christmann, Kelly Adamson, Steve Johns, Roger Friedmann (he replaced former outside counsel Tom Gabelman), Phil Beck, Caroline Blackburn, and Phil Castellini.
