Does Cincinnati need a new Arena?

Yes and no.

The Cincinnati Regional Chamber has a report that says a new downtown indoor arena is needed. But is it?

One of the designs for a new arena (is the roof made of grass?)

Cincy’s indoor arena, the Heritage Bank Center, sits adjacent to Great American Ball Park on the Cincinnati riverfront and currently houses the Cyclones, a minor league hockey team. Heritage Bank is a quaint but aging stadium that hosts about 100 events per year. The HBC will be turning 50 years old in September 2025, and the question becomes, is this arena sufficient for the needs/ wants of the city?

Heritage Bank was last renovated in 1997 for $14 million dollars and has not had much work done since. The arena is owned by the Anschultz Entertainment Group and Nederlander Entertainment. The maximum capacity for the HBC is 17,000 for a basketball game and 14,500 for hockey. Because the arena is turning a half-century old, many have been crying out for a new venue for sports and concerts. So, is a new stadium the answer or is renovating what is currently there enough?

New Stadium

The Regional Chamber report concluded that the cost of land acquisition and construction of a 18,000 seat arena would be in the range of $650 - $800 million. Two areas in contention for construction is land near the Duke Energy Convention Center and land in the west-end near TQL Stadium. The President of FC Cincinnati is in favor of building a new arena in the west-end and called the area of where the HBC sits a disappointment. These comments come as FCC embarks on a $300 million development of a mix-use zone north of their stadium. Of course the President of FCC would be in favor of bringing more business to the west-end, but is it the best solution for the city?

A brand new indoor stadium could bring the likes of a new tenant to the building. There were rumblings this time last year about the NHL coming to Cincinnati. The likelihood of this happening, spoiler alert; not likely. Many in the area have also been clamoring for the NBA to return to the Queen City. Also, not likely. But, with a new arena with updated facilities, larger musical acts and comedians could grace our great city along with political conventions and NCAA Basketball tournaments. The ‘if you build it, they will come’ approach is enticing.

Another advantage of building a new arena would also allow for no downtime of events held currently at Heritage Bank. Although, it was pointed out in the report that renovation would only last 12-18 months, while new construction could last twice as long. The other site up for contention is near the Duke Energy Convention Center, which is currently undergoing its own lengthy 18-month renovation. So, while the convention center is being renovated, the city found solutions of where to have their events, aside from Redsfest. Thus, with the two new music venues and other stadiums around the tri-state, the downtime could be managed. So, could renovation be the answer?

Renovation

The Chamber report cites that it would be too expensive to renovate the HBC, but they do not cite any numbers for that claim. The Nederland Entertainment Group has put out their own study on how it would be cheaper to renovate than to build new. Of course, the Nederlander Group, the operational owner of the Heritage Bank Center, would be in favor of renovation, but could they renovate the arena for only $600 million?

A design of a new Heritage Bank Center. (The future looks so cool)

Where the stadium resides right now is very compact. This is a major complication as Heritage Bank is sandwiched between Great American Ball Park and the Taylor Southgate Bridge. It will be challenging to upgrade the arena without building over Mehring Way and Pete Rose Way. The renovation’s largest advantage in this debate would be the input of public funds needed to build the stadium. The new arena would require 70% of the $650+ million to come from public funds. From the Nederlander group’s report, it would cost the taxpayers a lot less than building a new venue. Given the vibes towards publicly funded stadiums around the country, it is a very hard sell nowadays to have a majority of the funds come from the taxpayers.

To build or to renovate will be a debate that will be argued for years to come. Ultimately, it will be decided by the Mayor and City Council. For now, the renovation of Heritage Bank Center is the most probable outcome. Yet, at the same time, absolutely nothing could be done as well. Which would be so Cincinnati.