Rethinking The Banks

The long awaited Banks project is slowly beginning to become a reality before all of Cincinnati's curious eyes along the Ohio riverfront. The $1 billion project will eventually house more than 3,000 new residents; offer hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space and street-level retail and entertainment options that will truly transform Cincinnati’s center city and its relationship to the river.

With a project this impactful, discussions among the city's leadership around how the massive mixed-use project will be executed continue as the former dirt pit becomes concrete, glass and steel the discussions are stirring up once again about how the massive mixed use project will be executed.

Recent conversations have focused on the building's design elements with some members of Cincinnati’s Urban Design Review Board weighing in that more needs to be done at key intersections with a greater variety of building facades that complement Cincinnati’s diverse and high-quality architectural styles present throughout the Central Business District.

Today, the conversation will shift once more as the Master Development Team of Carter and The Dawson Company will host its first general information session for the development portion of The Banks.  The event will focus on the participation of small, disadvantaged, minority- and women-owned business enterprises according to project officials.  The Master Development Team also plans to encourage DBE and SBE certification among its project team and other project personnel.

Beyond the economic and development impact The Banks represents, the project serves as an opportunity for Greater Cincinnati and her residents to see the face of their community transformed in a way that can impact it for years to come physically, socially and economically.

The event will allow members of the public to hold one-on-one discussions with members of the Master Development Team and other project personnel.  The general information session will take place at the Community Action Agency at Jordan’s Crossing at 1740 Langdon Farm Road between 4 and 6pm today.  Those interested are encouraged to pre-register by contacting Ellington Management Services at [email protected].

Writer: Randy A. Simes
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