Cincinnati Policy Proposal: Riverfront Entertainment District

To date, the City of Cincinnati has one officially recognized Entertainment District. Pleasant Ridge, home to the local favorite, Molly Malone’s, has recently been designated a Community Entertainment District by City Council, thus allowing for expedited and discounted liquor licenses that are non-transferable out of the district.

But this is a big city-- One entertainment district in the northeast corner of the city shouldn’t impede the potential for other districts. The City of Cincinnati should strongly consider adopting a Community Entertainment District (CED) designation for the Cincinnati Riverfront; an area which is roughly three quarters of the way through a 20-year, $2 billion redevelopment process. With factors including the terminus of the planned Cincinnati Streetcar, both of the regions two largest sporting venues, a new park and a mass of new restaurants, apartments, retail, offices and several blocks of planned, but yet to be developed land, this designation can shape the future of the Riverfront and the face of Cincinnati.

With the crown jewel of Cincinnati’s nationally acclaimed park system just beginning to open, the entertainment and destination factors of the riverfront are brimming with opportunity. Going beyond the expedited liquor license process, we challenge the city to implement unique and specific performance ordinances. Council can work with the Park Board to ensure that the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Stage & Event Lawn is open and accessible to the many arts organizations and local performers in a manageable and easy to understand way. By ensuring that the scheduling of events at the Event Lawn is clear and practical, smaller organizations can showcase their talent without the worry of mismanaging bureaucratic hoops.

Additionally, current laws prohibit street performers after 10PM. We recommend that an additional hour (11PM) be allowed only on the nights of major evening sporting events in either Paul Brown Stadium or Great American Ball Park and only when these events fall on Friday or Saturday nights. The high potential for nighttime activity on typical Friday and Saturday evenings is compounded by the nightlife following a major sporting event. Allowing a 1-hour expansion of the city ordinance: Sec. 910-7. Loud Noises. in the Riverfront Entertainment District will be beneficial to the high energy and entertainment value of the neighborhood, while still maintaining reasonable amount of noise for local residents.

This spring, a large portion of Phase 1 of The Banks and the first portion of the Riverfront Park will open. With these openings come the riverfronts first residents, bars, restaurants and other retail establishments. In the coming years more of the Park and 4 additional blocks of The Banks will be developed. Creating this designation now, allows the entertainment theme to truly be built into the riverfront. Informally, The Banks plans do call for a high-energy entertainment development to be created, but the Community Entertainment District designation ensures this is done thoroughly, and that the official slogan, “It’s happening on The River” truly comes to bear.