( Hamilton County ) - Look for concerts to be held at The Banks about this time next year.
Hamilton County Commissioners on Tuesday announced a deal with the Bengals that'll lead to moving Hilltop Concrete to a new location, building a new greenspace that can accommodate parking and tailgating (concept art above), and ultimately lead to the construction of a concert venue.
The agreement involves the county buying the land Hilltop is on, half at first with Hilltop consolidating, to convert that into the aforementioned green parking system. County leaders will work to find a suitable area for Hilltop's relocation. That parking system is expected to be done by June, 2020. The rest of the property will be developed in 2021.
The Bengals are forgoing $30 million in game day payments from the county, and that will allow the county to buy that Hilltop land. A statement from the team says "the solution forged by Hamilton County is an innovative one and adds meaningful greenspace to the riverfront."
The county says the music venue will open in the fall of 2020, and it anticipates over 200 events there per year. "This is a good deal for the taxpayers," said Commission President Denise Driehaus in a statement, "the music venue moves forward without delay."
The deal was brokered without the City of Cincinnati. Council last week voted to effectively kill the proposal that would've moved Hilltop Concrete to Price Hill.