The Banks is a mixed-use development and
neighborhood
A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...
along the
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, on the land between
Paycor Stadium
Paycor Stadium, previously known as Paul Brown Stadium, is an outdoor football stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League and opened on August 19, 2000. Originally named after the B ...
and
Great American Ball Park
Great American Ball Park is a baseball stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It served as the home stadium of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB), and opened on March 31, 2003, replacing Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium), the R ...
.
History
![The Banks on Opening Day for The Cincinnati Reds April 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/The_Banks_on_Opening_Day_for_The_Cincinnati_Reds_April_2012.jpg)
The construction for a new riverfront area between the two stadiums is the result of a public participation planning process begun in October 1996.
Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati engaged
Urban Design Associates
Urban Design Associates (UDA; formerly known as UDA Architects) is an international urban design and architecture firm headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.
History
Urban Design Associates (UDA) was founded in 1964 by David Lew ...
to prepare a plan to give direction in two public policy areas:
# To site the two new stadiums for the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
and the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
# To develop an overall urban design framework for the development of the central riverfront which would capitalize on the major public investment in the stadiums and structured parking.
A Riverfront Steering Committee made up of City and County elected officials and staff was formed as a joint policy board for the Central Riverfront Plan.
Focus groups
A focus group is a group interview involving a small number of demographically similar people or participants who have other common traits/experiences. Their reactions to specific researcher/evaluator-posed questions are studied. Focus groups are ...
, interviews, and public meetings were held throughout the planning process.
A Concept Plan was published in April 1997 which identified three possible scenarios for the siting of the stadiums and the development of the riverfront. The preparation of a final Master Plan was delayed due to a November 1998 public referendum on the siting of the Reds Stadium. Once the decision on the Reds Stadium was made by the voters in favor of a riverfront site, Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati appointed sixteen prominent citizens to the Riverfront Advisors Commission who were charged to "recommend mixed usage for the Riverfront that guarantees public investment will create sustainable development on the site most valued by our community". The result of that effort was The Banks, a September 1999 report from the Advisors which contained recommendations on land use, parking, finance, phasing, and developer selection for the Central Riverfront. The final Master Plan includes The Banks recommendations from the advisors.
Carter and The Dawson Co. were selected by the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County as master developers for the 18-acre mixed-use project. Carter has also served as program manager for the construction of the city and county-funded parking garage and infrastructure components of The Banks project, including accommodation of parking for the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
stadium.
Bob Castellini
Robert Castellini (born September 23, 1941) is an American businessman from Cincinnati, Ohio. Since 2006, he has been Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Cincinnati Reds, leading a group that purchased a majority share of the Major League Baseba ...
, CEO of the Cincinnati Reds, was a chair of Joint Banks Steering Committee.
On November 1, 2007, Cincinnati City Council and Hamilton County approved of the project. Groundbreaking took place on April 2, 2008. The first phase, which opened in summer of 2011, included Current at the Banks, a building containing 300 apartment units atop 96,000 square feet of street-level retail space.
Phase II of The Banks broke ground in the summer of 2013, including projects with 300 apartment units, more than 60,000 square feet of street level retail, and more than 400 parking spaces along Vine Street between Second Street and Freedom Way.
According to a 2012 study of Phase I by The
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...
Economic Center, it was estimated that The Banks would have an ongoing economic impact of $91.6 million, as well as generating $556 million in construction-based impact. Upon completion, The Banks would be the region's largest mixed-use development and would house more than 3,000 residents. The City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, and a joint venture between Carter and The Dawson Co. formed The Banks Public Private Partnership to secure funding and develop the project.
Smale Riverfront Park
Smale Riverfront Park spans over of land along the
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
between Broadway and Central Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is named after
John G. Smale, who gave $20 million for its construction in memory of his wife, Phyllis W. Smale.
Design
The park connects Bicentennial Commons and
Sawyer Point to form an almost corridor of public park along the river.
The park includes:
*Bike trails
*Boat docks
*Carousel
*Gardens
*Grand stairs
*Great lawn
*Green spaces for festivals and community events
*Playgrounds
*River's edge
promenade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...
with oversized "porch" swings
*Tree groves
*Walkways
*Water features (jets, cascades, pools and waterfalls)
Additionally, the park contains a historical marker indicating the position of home plate of the former
Riverfront Stadium
Riverfront Stadium, also known as Cinergy Field from 1996 to 2002, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States that was the home of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball from 1970 through 2002 and the Cincinnati Bengals o ...
. The area occupied by the Banks and the Riverfront Park is the former site of this storied facility, razed in 2002 after the completion of Great American Ball Park to the east.
Transportation
The master plan for The Banks project included the project as the southern terminus of the first phase of the
then-proposed Cincinnati Streetcar system, linking
Over-the-Rhine
Over-the-Rhine (often abbreviated as OTR) is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Historically, Over-the-Rhine has been a working-class neighborhood. It is among the largest, most intact urban historic districts in the United State ...
and Downtown to the riverfront and the new development. The proposed system came to fruition in 2016 as the
Cincinnati Bell Connector
The Connector is a streetcar system in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The system opened to passengers on September 9, 2016. The streetcar operates on a loop from The Banks, Great American Ball Park, and Smale Riverfront Park through Downtow ...
.
Neighborhood landmarks
In existence prior to development
File:Great_American_Ball_Park_with_The_Gap_on_July_5,_2003_Cincinnati_Reds_versus_New_York_Mets.jpg, Great American Ball Park
Great American Ball Park is a baseball stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It served as the home stadium of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB), and opened on March 31, 2003, replacing Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium), the R ...
File:Heritage_Bank_Center.jpg, Heritage Bank Center
Heritage Bank Center is an indoor arena located in downtown Cincinnati, next to the Great American Ball Park. It was completed in September 1975 and named Riverfront Coliseum because of its placement next to Riverfront Stadium. In 1997, the fa ...
File:Cincinnati-paul-brown-stadium.jpg, Paul Brown Stadium
Paycor Stadium, previously known as Paul Brown Stadium, is an outdoor football stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League and opened on August 19, 2000. Originally named after the B ...
File:Roebling Suspension Bridge at night.jpg, Roebling Bridge
Completed development projects
File:NationalUndergroundRailroadFreedomCenter.jpg, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a museum in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, based on the history of the Underground Railroad. Opened in 2004, the Center also pays tribute to all efforts to "abolish human enslavement and secure fr ...
File:Fort-Washington-Way.jpg, Redesign of Fort Washington Way
Fort Washington Way is an approximately section of freeway in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The eight-lane divided highway is a concurrent section of Interstate 71 (I-71) and U.S. Route 50 (US 50) that runs from west to east ...
File:Riverfront-Transit-Center-Entrace.jpg, Riverfront Transit Center
File:Smale Park Fountain Dowtown Cincinnati (44807706).jpeg, Smale Riverfront Park fountains
File:Smale Riverfront Park - panoramio.jpg, Smale Riverfront Park greenspace and riverwalk
, Andrew J. Brady Music Center
Awards
*2012 NAIOP Impact Award (Cincinnati chapter)
*2013 National Planning Excellence Award for Implementation from American Planning Association (APA)
National Planning Excellence Award for Implementation
/ref>
Notes
External links
The Banks, Cincinnati
Smale Riverfront Park
The Cincinnati Central Riverfront Master Plan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banks
Mixed-use developments in Ohio
Buildings and structures in Cincinnati
Economy of Cincinnati
Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in the United States
2011 establishments in Ohio
Neighborhoods in Cincinnati
Tourist attractions in Cincinnati