CINCINNATI — A new attraction is coming to The Banks, with Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and Hamilton County Commission President Denise Driehaus hinting that it could be a Ferris wheel.
Both leaders want to bring a new temporary feature to the downtown riverfront entertainment district to spur activity and draw visitors. The 150-foot SkyStar observation wheel was very popular while it was at The Banks from 2018 to 2020.
“We are interested in some kind of short-term activation at Lot 18, which is the lot right in front of the (Underground Railroad) Freedom Center,” Pureval said. “A Ferris wheel, or something like that … to show the public that we are trying to drive resources here even if it’s a short-term activation. We want them to see that we take this seriously.”
WATCH: We speak with Mayor Aftab Pureval and County Commission President Denise Driehaus
This comes as the development of an empty lot adjacent to the Andrew J. Brady Music Center is delayed. And any new construction to fill the 9 acres of empty space at The Banks is at least several years away.
Two companies submitted proposals by the April 9 deadline: Indianapolis-based Flaherty & Collins and Lincoln Property Company, which is partnering with the Cleveland Browns to develop a 176-acre mixed-use entertainment district in Brook Park that will be anchored by a new domed stadium.
Lot 24, with its open views of Smale Park and the Ohio River, is considered the best of the remaining four to five empty lots. But city and county leaders did not like the plans developers submitted.
“It wasn’t what we intended or what we desire there,” Driehaus said, of the two proposals for Lot 24. “We are going to take that information, roll it into the larger scope of all four lots together. It makes sense since there should be some synergy among these lots that are all right next to one another.”
“The urban design review committee will now be part of looking at all four lots. They’re meeting now. As I said, we do need to expand the circle. That will happen within the next couple of months,” Driehaus said.
The review committee is comprised of representatives from the city and county, plus Caroline Blackburn, senior manager of digital strategy at the Cincinnati Bengals, whose family owns the team, and Phil Castellini, president and CEO of the Reds.
Commissioners voted in April to award the urban design and planning lead for The Banks to Chicago firm Perkins & Will and Over-the-Rhine’s MKSK. The project is expected to cost $500,000.
The winning proposal focused on better connecting The Banks to downtown, capping Ft. Washington Way to create walkways and gardens, expanding transportation access and incorporating the newly purchased 17-acre site of the former Hilltop Basic Resources near Paycor Stadium.
In a May 8 interview, WCPO asked both Pureval and Driehaus about the future of The Banks.
WCPO: What is The Banks missing?
Pureval: “I think right now, The Banks is missing getting finished. The fact that there is rebar exposed on Lot 24 and has been for a very long time is frustrating. That’s why when Commissioner Driehaus became president … we met very early and said what are our shared priorities and what can we put our collective efforts toward. Lot 24 and just generally, The Banks was really at the top of the list. I think what was missing was just the commitment to drive some urgency, get this thing finished so that it continues to be not just a community space but an economic driver, and that’s what we’re committed to doing.”
Driehaus: “And let me say, too, we are looking at the four lots collectively and we’re looking at them together. That was not the case not so long ago, where the city and the county had talked about, ‘You have two, and we have two,’ and there wasn’t a lot of synergy between what was being talked about. That’s no longer the case. I do think it took a little bit of time to get us to where we are, but ... we’re working together, and I really do think that’s the right approach."
WCPO: What about home ownership, do you think that would help The Banks?
Pureval: “Home ownership is something that would help the entire city. We are constantly looking for ways to build more housing, particularly to build more dense multifamily housing, which is something The Banks really excels at. I think the challenge with home ownership, irrespective of being at The Banks, is because of the macro-economic challenges that builders face oftentimes before they build something like condos … They have to sell out the entire building before they can put the financing together which is really challenging right now given the interest rates and how much families are struggling. So housing is definitely part of our priority when we talk about mixed use, but it will likely be renters just based on the macroeconomic factors and what is able to be built with the dollars that we have.”
Driehaus: “I do want to say, related to the renter part of it. I think an area like this often attracts young people. Empty nesters as well, but young people especially like the bar scene, the activity that’s constant down here. I do think it’s appropriate to think about renting … in addition to home ownership. I think it has to be that mix.”
WCPO: If you had one wish of what you would like to see (at The Banks)?
Pureval: “I think what is clear in what we need at The Banks is more mixed use. We see national trends and we see here in Cincinnati, that unless it is class A office space and unless there is a massive demand for office space it’s not necessarily helpful to invest and create more office space … Because of remote work and the impact on small businesses like Holy Grail and lunchtime we need more people downtown. We need to turn it from exclusively a commerce center into a neighborhood, and The Banks is a critical piece of that.”
Driehaus: “I agree with the analysis and agree that office space probably doesn’t make sense, but rather residential, retail make some sense. We can build some density on Lot 24, unlike the other three lots that are still available. It is our last opportunity to do something large-scale. We’re obviously cognizant of that and want to take advantage of that.”
WCPO: When you say retail what specifically — a grocery store, dry cleaning? Are you talking about retail that supports people who live here or retail that draws tourists down?
Pureval: “I think we have got to be strategic in what we’re investing in from a small business perspective. The Banks is designed to be, and it is an entertainment area. While it is true that we want neighborhood amenities in the downtown area ... I don’t necessarily think we need a grocery store or a dry cleaner right here along the DORA. I think what we need is to continue the strategy of an entertainment district, continue to put businesses here that are going to be successful for live events."
Driehaus: “I agree with that. I do want to again emphasize that this is the one opportunity to put some density, and we don’t want to lose track of that. We’ve got three other lots where we can talk about what would be most appropriate on those lots. It’s going to be a lower-density equation. The other thing is to know that we’re going to have community input. We have this group that has gotten together, and we’re asking them to help us inform how we move forward. It’s the Reds and the Bengals, but it’s also the retailers, and there will be ongoing conversations as that group expands … so that we can get some community input about what others want to see. It’s one thing to ask us about what we think we’d like to see, but it’s another to ask the community what they want to see down here.”
WCPO: The crime that we’re seeing at The Banks. Do you feel like the vacancy, the empty lots, are contributing to that?
Pureval: “Absolutely. Not just at The Banks but anywhere in the city where there is a lack of vibrancy, a lack of density, a lack of just foot traffic. Those do tend to be magnets for crime. There’s no doubt that both the commissioner and I are focused on The Banks, particularly in the summer months with respect to crime. We’ve seen, unfortunately, high-profile crimes happening at The Banks, which is why we’ve really taken creative steps in order to mitigate that. From the CPD side, every weekend during the summer, in fact every weekend now during the year, particularly in the summer, we have an increased police presence. We have both SWAT and CDRT ... a civil response team for civil disruptions. The most highly trained officers in our complement. Both teams are very visible and deployed whether they are in patrol cars, on foot, or you also see several police officers on bike and we focus them in the urban core particularly The Banks but we’re also really trying to think creatively about how to manage the crowd with the DORA and so we’ve now in partnership with Holy Grail and some other businesses created through a special permit program the DORA at night will only be for 21 and up and will be a weapon free zone … The last thing is economic development is an incredibly powerful tool in mitigating violence … the more that we can develop these empty lots, the more that we can breathe life into some of the emptier parts of The Banks, the more eyes that we will have, the more dollars coming in, and you’ll see over time the crime going down.”
WCPO: How do we better connect The Banks to downtown, and why is that important economically?
Driehaus: “The decks to literally connect The Banks to the business district - we’ve been talking about that for a while. It’s a very expensive proposition. But we have tried a couple of times to go for federal funding with the Chamber of Commerce, with the city of Cincinnati … We’re not there yet. It’s very expensive, and I’ll be honest, there are other priorities that are over the decks. But there’s no question that would be super helpful to do that connectivity. In the meantime, though, I’ve talked to Steve Leeper a little bit about this. This way-finding piece where you make sure that people who are either here or there, or in Over-the-Rhine, understand that ‘Oh wait a minute there is walkability, it’s a walking district and you can easily get from one to the other … we need to reframe that a little bit but also be really intentional about it … we need to have signage.”
Pureval: “The more that we can breathe life into the southern part of downtown and The Banks, the more that over time they will start to connect … We need to, at long last, put caps on Fort Washington Way and my team has been talking to Senator Moreno’s team extensively very recently. The Chamber of Commerce has continued to bang the drum on this project, and it would be transformational. Having a central park right there in our urban core. Again, another neighborhood amenity to increase the vibrancy and walkability of the city would be a home run … and keep in mind, when Fort Washington Way was built, it was built with this in mind. So this is the logical next step, but it’s very resource-intensive. The political will is there, I think the community will is there, and hopefully we can be persuasive at the federal level.”
WCPO: The fate of the Heritage Bank Center — how closely is that tied to the success of The Banks?
Pureval: “I think it is very, very important for not just The Banks but the entire city of Cincinnati to have a world-class arena. We have been seeing other competitor cities, other peer cities really leaving us in the dust as it relates to attracting large-scale concerts, attracting the NFL draft, the NCAA tournament. And part of that is a lack of assets. People don’t view Heritage Bank Arena as a structure that can accommodate a modern event. And we’re losing out on a lot of those economic development opportunities. I don’t know that an arena or a prospective arena necessarily needs to be at The Banks in order for the city to benefit … A lot of people in the community right now are focused on where the arena goes. I’ve been very clear from the beginning. I think we do need an arena but I’m much more worried about how we pay for it than where it actually goes … I think the public has grown tired of public dollars being the first in and a vast majority of an infrastructure project like an arena and so the politics of that and the public support of that has changed dramatically. If we do get a large private funder to come in, they will have a significant say as to where that ultimately goes.”
Driehaus: “We need to take advantage of the built infrastructure that already exists. The last thing we want is to put an arena somewhere where there is no built infrastructure, because then who is building the infrastructure?”
WCPO: Are you talking specifically about parking?
Driehaus: “Yes … we’ve got built-in investments in this community that would have synergy with an arena … the most obvious is the parking here, so I don’t think it’s a big secret that I’ve always said I think this site is a great site. I think it needs to be refurbished, expanded. We need to do all the modern things we need to do. I think there is the ability to do that here. I think it’s complicated, but I think it’s possible. As opposed to a site that is further away. But there are other built assets in other locations. I’m not agnostic so much on the location, I have a couple of favorites, but I don’t want to lose track of what this community has invested in collectively. It really would be wrong-minded to forget about that. Now, if a private investor wants to build a new arena with all the needed infrastructure, well, all right then. But I really want to make sure that we’re taking advantage of what we’ve already done.”
Pureval: “To Denise’s point, and it goes back to the previous question about connecting downtown to The Banks, putting an arena directly west of the convention center would be a huge step toward doing exactly that. But again, I am less concerned about where it goes and more concerned about how we actually pay for it.”
WCPO: One thing that people have talked about for years is a boat dock … should the city and county get more involved in moving this forward?
Pureval: “The city is very involved in this. I am very passionate about activating our river. When you go to Richmond or to Austin, cities that are competitors of ours … they have done a great job of activating their rivers … Which is why I’m so excited that this summer Red Bull Flugtag is coming back. It was here just a couple of years ago, and 10,000 people showed up right on the Serpentine Wall, right on the river. It’s just a huge asset that we just don’t take advantage of enough. The city right now in collaboration with the park board is building a marina just to the south of Great American Ball Park which, particularly with the plans the county has with both of the stadiums is only going to further catalyze the opportunities for event space and activations in that area … we have a triathlon coming for the first time ever to Cincinnati this summer and the swimmers be jumping off of a riverboat and into Ohio River and then running and biking downtown. The more that we can activate that river for tourism, but also for our local events, I think the better Cincinnati will be.”
WCPO: What about the lots that are more adjacent to the stadium that have some height restrictions? What could possibly go there?
Driehaus: “Maybe that’s a place for the more mom and pop kind of retailers because the density has to be fairly compact and they’re just not as big and they’re oddly shaped … they’re triangles, so it’s a little bit more difficult. We’re going to have to get creative, but 3CDC maybe could maybe be a partner in this space. They’ve already done quite a bit of this work in Over-the-Rhine and get some different eyes on the space, to say, 'What do you think the potential is?' But it’s going to be less dense and less compact.”
WCPO: Why not bring in 3CDC (City Center Development Corp.) to finish The Banks?
Driehaus: “We have been in conversation with them. We need to give a broad lens, make sure everybody is included, but then also have some of that expertise available to us as well. So it’s not as if they’re going to be excluded. I think we will ask Steve Leeper to come in and say, ‘Hey, what are your thoughts here,’ as part of a conversation.”
Pureval: “Part of the answer is just bandwidth. 3CDC is taking the development lead on the convention center and the hotel. 3CDC is taking the development lead on the groundbreaking we just had earlier this week for the new Findlay Rec Center in northern OTR. 3CDC is continuing to try and finish both the Foundry and the Saks 5th Avenue building. So Leeper and his staff are spread thin right now. Which is actually a good thing, given how much economic development investment is happening in our urban core. We do have to be sensitive to making sure that the resources and the expertise we have are focused on finishing the projects that are currently in the pipeline, as we work concurrently on The Banks. And of course, 3CDC will be a trusted partner and consultant on these big decisions, but we also have to give them the space to finish the projects in the pipeline.”
WCPO: When can the public expect to see some movement? Some construction?
Driehaus: “The urban design review committee is in place. I do want to mention one thing about Lot 24 … because it’s the biggest and has the most opportunity, we wanted to jump start that one and get it moving as quickly as we possibly could. We got a couple of developers to respond to the RFP that went out. They are not what we intended. And so, we are going to take that information, roll it into the larger scope of all four lots together … The urban design review committee will now be part of looking at all four lots. So, they’re meeting now. As I said, we do need to expand the circle. That will happen within the next couple of months. We need to finish out The Banks, and we both agree with that. The sooner the better. It’s moving, but we need to make sure we do it right.”
Pureval: “That’s why we were so interested in kickstarting with Lot 24 to show the public that we do care about this, and we do want shovels in the ground as quickly as possible. In the short term though as we kind of regroup on the rest of the lots based on the RFP submissions, we are interested in some kind of short-term activation at Lot 18 which is the lot right in front of the Freedom Center … a Ferris wheel, something like that … We’re interested in something like that in the short term to show the public that we are trying to drive resources here even if it’s a short-term activation we want them to see that we take this seriously.”
Note: Some answers were shortened for brevity.
