The Banks, Cincinnati
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The Banks is a mixed-use development along the
Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
in
downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, on the land between Paycor Stadium and
Great American Ball Park Great American Ball Park is a baseball stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds, and opened on March 31, 2003, replacing Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium), the Reds' fo ...
.


History

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 Le ...
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. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
# 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 (sometimes up to ten) of demographically predefined participants. Their reactions to specific researcher/evaluator-posed questions are studied. Focus groups are used in market research ...
, 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. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
stadium.
Bob Castellini Robert Castellini (born September 23, 1941) is an American businessman from Cincinnati, Ohio. Since 2006, he has been principal owner and managing general partner of the Cincinnati Reds, leading a group that purchased a majority share of the Major ...
, 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, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...
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. The SkyStar Wheel was scheduled to open at The Banks on August 31, 2018, but was delayed until September 1, 2018 due to weather. It opened to help celebrate the Banks' ten-year anniversary and was located across from the
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 ...
. The wheel remained open at this location until March 1, 2020. On July 2, 2019, it was announced that the owners, SkyView Partners, planned to return to the area and install a permanent observation wheel set to open by March 5, 2021. However, the company indicated in December 2020 they had put the plans on hold due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.


Smale Riverfront Park

Smale Riverfront Park spans over of land along the
Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
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 fortification, fortress or city walls ...
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. It was the home of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 Cincinnati Reds season, 1970 through 2002 Cincinna ...
. 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 residential neighborhood located in the urban basin of Cincinnati, Ohio. Over-the-Rhine is among the largest, most intact urban historic districts in the United States. Originally settled by Ohi ...
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 tram, 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, Cincinnati, The Banks, Great American Ball Park, Paycor Stadiu ...
.


Neighborhood landmarks


In existence prior to development

File:GABP.jpg,
Great American Ball Park Great American Ball Park is a baseball stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds, and opened on March 31, 2003, replacing Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium), the Reds' fo ...
File:Heritage Bank Center.jpg,
Heritage Bank Center Heritage Bank Center is an indoor arena in downtown Cincinnati, adjacent to 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 facility ...
File:Cincinnati-paul-brown-stadium.jpg, Paycor Stadium 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 at night.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 concurrency (road), concurrent section of Interstate 71 in Ohio, Interstate 71 (I-71) and U.S. Route ...
File:Riverfront-Transit-Center-Entrace.jpg,
Riverfront Transit Center The Riverfront Transit Center is a rarely used multi-modal transportation center currently used as a local bus and commuter bus hub for TANK and SORTA during special events, in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, s ...
File:Smale Park Fountain Dowtown Cincinnati (44807706).jpeg, Smale Riverfront Park File:Andrew J. Brady Music Center.jpg,
Andrew J. Brady Music Center The Andrew J. Brady Music Center is a music venue in Cincinnati, Ohio, located in The Banks neighborhood on the Ohio River. The venue opened in July 2021. The year-round facility includes an outdoor stage for concerts and festivals in the park a ...


Awards

*2012 NAIOP Impact Award (Cincinnati chapter) *2013 National Planning Excellence Award for Implementation from
American Planning Association The American Planning Association (APA) is a professional organization representing the field of urban planning in the United States. APA was formed in 1978, when two separate professional planning organizations, the American Institute of Pla ...
(APA)National Planning Excellence Award for Implementation
/ref>


Notes


External links


The Banks, CincinnatiSmale Riverfront ParkThe 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