The Enquirer ran an article yesterday showing visual representations of the first phase of the Banks project.
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080625/NEWS01/806250326/-1/today
Check it out and see what you think of the designs.
Personally, I’m a fan of the widened sidewalks which allow for more street cafe seating and awnings for shading from solar heating.
The great pile of dirt could be affecting the Reds’ performance. Local legend says that the Reds will win the pennant when they have a space adjacent to the Ballpark worthy of the massive celebration that would bring.
If you believe in local legend, buy your season tickets now for the summer of 2010.
Sometimes, even a pile of crushed blacktop is beautiful - with the right lighting.
Compare this photo from Week 1 when there was blacktop and a port-o-potty, to the following photo from week 7. Things are moving along.
Some definite changes happening at the Banks and Riverfront. They’ve covered up the big ditch in the middle and started leveling the ground.
Some leftovers from the old ballpark.
Some new equipment has appeared as well.
Twin CATs wait for work.
Liberty Township is planning a major new development that is being called “The Banks 2“. It’s been proposed as a pedestrian-friendly mix of urban park, retail, residential, entertainment, hotel, conference, and office space. It’s also being compared to two, upscale modern shopping malls in the region: Easton Town Center in Columbus and The Green in Dayton.
The plan is not set in stone, so there is still a chance that feedback will be considered. Have a better idea for that 100 or so acres of Butler County land?
It’s true that urban development is a more environmentally efficient lifestyle than a suburban one, but I would also mention that there are plenty of available infill development opportunities, historical buildings, and new developments within only a few miles of downtown Cincinnati. Does anyone really want to drive on I-75 to an urban park in an area that was considered rural only a few years ago? I’d prefer to eat my corn or go in a Halloween maze through a field of it, instead of going to a Max & Erma’s and Coldwater Creek that was plopped on top of it.
The article also mentions that the concept of the project is to create a downtown concept for this “fast-growing bedroom community”. I’m confused. Someone who works downtown chooses to live 30 miles away to be out in the spacious sprawling country only to expect urban recreation to sprout up around their neighborhood?
Urban mimicking suburban development in a rural area is a recipe for creating a car-based, impersonal community. An expensive proposition as gas prices continue to rise. Now would be an appropriate time to consider smart growth principles. As each area North of downtown creates their own urban-modeled entertainment district, it further separates neighborhoods, keeps us dependent on expensive gas-using transportation, makes us believe that only chain stores and restaurants still exist, and swallows any rural that is left as it is squeezed into the margins of the sprawling Cincinnati-Dayton megalopolis.
Even a new Ikea nearby hasn’t convinced me. Northern Cincinnati is plagued with the same traffic that is often experienced when commuting into the city and even more costly and expansive road/sewer/infrastructure maintenance.
At any rate, perhaps some technology-minded individual who lives near the new development will get the original idea to start The Banks 2 Blog. That’s far too distant for me to consider driving to at all regularly to monitor the progress. I’ll just make do with my living space and clean bathroom just 1 block from the Taste of Cincinnati.
Thanks to The ‘Nati Life for the heads up on the article.
Recently, Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune suggested decreasing the county’s debt from the Paul Brown Stadium construction project by selling naming rights.
Around the country, selling major venue naming rights has been inevitable as an income source for facilities that are massively expensive to build and maintain. Like it or not, it’s a viable alternative to passing or increasing taxes to pay for these projects.
Let’s put a little spin on this and instead of selling purely to the highest bidder, let’s consider selling naming rights to a company that fits the venue. You have to admit that we lucked out getting Great American Ballpark versus something more sterile like Kroger Field, Rumpke Diamond, or Cincinnati Bell Ballpark.
I would love to see something like Skyline Stadium or Cincinnati Zoo Tiger Den. Anyone else have a suggestion?
This weekend we attended the Managing Your Carbon Footprint regional workshop presented by Green Energy Ohio. The event took place at the new LEED-NC silver certified Harold C. Schott Education Center. Presenting one of the sessions was Todd Portune, Hamilton County Commissioner, and we are excited by some of the things he mentioned about the Riverfront projects in Cincinnati.
Mr. Portune commented that any project in the County that includes county funding needs to meet certain requirements in the design, construction and purchasing of goods and services.
The Banks will include the following:
If you aren’t aware of why these things are necessary for the city, you may want to understand that these requirements aren’t just to lower the carbon footprint of the project, but in many cases will save money for the city and county.
As anyone who pays for water in Hamilton county realizes, the Federal government has mandated that Hamilton County must repair it’s sewer systems. The cost will be passed to consumers through a 12% increase in water costs each year over the next few years. Ingeniously, Hamilton County has found a way to reduce the cost by $1 billion dollars (yes, $1 billion) by proposing using green methods to keep runoff and storm water out of the sewer system in the first place.
Methods to do this include more wetlands, promoting rain barrels for gardening in residential neighborhoods, gray water recycling for buildings, and green roofs.
If you haven’t had a chance to hear Mr Portune speak about where Hamilton county is going in the future, you really need to. His enthusiasm about the region is contagious. As a non-Cincinnati native, I was encouraged by the commitment he has for moving the area into the future.
The Enquirer Politics Extra Blog reports that the proposed GASP (Government Accountability Spending Program) which shows how tax payer money was spent would also include data from The Banks development.
GASP is a great acronym, who knew that politicians had a sense of humor?
Some significant progress has occurred this week. The southern end of the first phase blacktop has been almost completely torn up.
