A long-awaited playbook for how to fill the last five empty parcels at The Banks is finally on the table, and it is now heading to Cincinnati’s planning commission for a formal once-over. The new recommendations call for housing, plazas and fresh entertainment anchors, all pitched as a way to stitch the riverfront back into downtown and keep the area buzzing more than just on game days.
Architecture firm Perkins & Will led a multi-disciplinary team that also included MKSK Studios, Kolar Design, Nelson\Nygaard and HR&A Advisors. Together they produced a framework for what should rise on the remaining lots, according to The Banks Public Partnership. The update zeroes in on stronger public spaces, clearer signs and navigation, safer and easier movement through the district and consistent rules to shape future private development. Phil Beck, project executive for The Banks, has said the work builds on the district’s economic clout and is meant to upgrade the visitor experience.
The blueprint follows roughly 11 months of work among the consultant team, the city, Hamilton County and community stakeholders. Officials say the next formal step is review and potential approval by the City of Cincinnati Planning Commission, according to WKRC Local 12. If the commission signs off, that action would set up a zoning amendment to guide how developers can build out the final pieces of the project.
What the consultants recommend
Concept drawings outline a mix of two taller mixed-use buildings near Paycor Stadium and lower mid-rise buildings scattered through the rest of the site, plus at least one new hotel and neighborhood-focused retail. The team also cautions that the market is not ready for speculative new office towers, WCPO reports. Market research presented with the plan says the district could absorb more than a thousand additional housing units and recommends new plazas at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and other riverfront gathering spots. Entertainment ideas on the table include a festival street on Freedom Way and a permanent Ferris wheel concept closer to the river.
Leaders split on height and priority
Reactions from elected officials have been far from unanimous. Some Hamilton County commissioners have raised concerns that tall towers could wall off views of the Ohio River, while several city leaders have pushed for bolder height to bring in more residents and, as one put it, more “eyes on the street,” according to WLWT. The back-and-forth reflects a larger tug-of-war among priorities including preserving public access to the water, adding housing and shoring up small businesses, all of which will influence the final zoning language and future requests for development proposals.
Next steps and public input
If the plan update clears its early hurdles, it will be written into a formal zoning amendment initiated by Hamilton County and then reviewed by the City Planning Commission and City Council, with public hearings scheduled along the way, The Banks Public Partnership says. Once the new rules are in place, the public partners expect to seek out developers for each of the remaining sites and negotiate deals that reflect the plan’s focus on streets, plazas and other public spaces.
The current work grows out of a years-long pause on some parcels. Officials put bids for Lot 24 on hold last year while they stepped back to rethink a coordinated riverfront strategy, a pause that helped push leaders toward a single plan for all five sites, as previously reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier. That history raises the stakes for the coming zoning review, particularly for nearby businesses and property owners who have been pressing for activity that does not begin and end with the final whistle.
A formal vote at the City Planning Commission will be the first major milestone to watch. Residents can review documents, poll results and upcoming meeting schedules on the project’s public engagement hub. The full timeline and comment opportunities are posted on the plan’s website at Riverfront Update.
