The way Cincinnati Reds Chief Operating Officer Phil Castellini described it on Monday, The Banks still needs one crucial element.
"This is our front door," Castellini told Cincinnati City Council's Budget and Finance Committee on Monday. "This is the entertainment district we intentionally designed between the two stadiums. I don’t believe we ever completed it with the pedestrian center point, a rally point in the middle."
That central location could be the Gateway to Freedom Park in front of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Castellini presented the proposal for a $10 million to $15 million park and plaza.
What would Gateway to Freedom Park look like?
If the project comes to fruition, the city would close off vehicular traffic on the block of Freedom Way between Vine and Walnut streets. The block is in front of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center facing the Ohio River.
The block would become a terraced, circular plaza, a pedestrian path, a green space with a manicured lawn, and space for outdoor exhibits and dining.
It's a plan that's been discussed among some leaders for about six months, Mayor John Cranley said.
Cranley, who leaves office next month and is running for Ohio governor, said he wanted to do something with that land across from the museum that's now concrete and grass. It previously housed the large SkyStar observation wheel dismantled in March 2020.
'I think if you look at how beautiful the riverfront park is, it stops when you get to the carousel," Cranley said. "It's natural to extend it up to the Freedom Center. The plaza (in front of the museum) is really wide. There's a lot of space there."
He approached the Freedom Center, Reds and other stakeholders at The Banks. The result was a plan to makeover the riverfront land between the Freedom Center and Ohio River into a pedestrian-friendly plaza.
Who would pay for the park and plaza, and who would benefit?
The Reds presented the plan in October to some stakeholders, including Hamilton County Commissioners Denise Driehaus and Stephanie Summerow Dumas, county officials told The Enquirer.
How the project would be paid for is not known.
Castellini said ideally, a third would be paid for by the city, a third by Hamilton County and a third from private sources. But he acknowledged that may not be realistic.
Castellini, however, said he thinks the park is worthwhile and would breathe life into The Banks.
"Bars and restaurants have continued to struggle in the off-sports season," Castellini said. "So a lot of this vision is about how to keep this ecosystem healthy. The understanding here is the more we invest in this platform of a center rallying point, the easier it will be to do pop-up events."
The fate of the project will be in the hands of Mayor-elect Aftab Pureval and a new city council.
The Hamilton County commissioners have yet to weigh in on what, if any, county involvement there'll be. Commissioner Alicia Reece told The Enquirer she has not seen any proposal about the Gateway to Freedom Park. But she said she's not inclined to support funding in the next county budget, saying her focus is to get the Black Music Walk of Fame opened by July 22 near the new Andrew J. Brady Icon Music Center near the river.
City Councilman Greg Landsman, a member of the Budget and Finance Committee, said he doesn't know how feasible Gateway to Freedom Park is. But he was impressed by the plan developed by the team, the mayor and the city parks department. The Reds paid between $150,000 to $160,000 in design fees for the plan, Castellini said.
"I think it is incredible work," Landsman said. "I think it is a big deal for the Freedom Center, I think it will help transform that entire area. In terms of how you pay for it and who pays for it, we're just starting that conversation."
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