They are talking about the right size and the right place we need. But razing the Regal is controversial. Panelists suggested that the Regal's owners be compensated by being granted the rights to rebuild the hotel atop the new convention center. Beyond the convention business, the city must bolster its local economy by continuing to build downtown housing, adding thousands of units over the next few years, the panel suggested. They advised concentrating on mixed-use developments, combining retail, residential and office space, while staying away from thebuilding of giant office towers.
Downtown also needs more obvious links to the university area.
Instead of trying to coax suburban shoppers downtown, the city should connect neighborhoods with a trolley system, similar to those in San Francisco and Portland. We are sometimes our own worst critics. The panel also advised creating a riverfront entertainment district around Cinergy Field and cautioned against building a hotel on Fountain Square West or subsidizing any future downtown hotels. The ULI, a non-profit planning group based in Washington D.C., last convened a panel in Cincinnati in 1993. Its recommendations eventually led to the creation of Downtown Cincinnati Inc., and the development of a Lazarus Department Store.