NEWPORT — The developer of Newport on the Levee promises an attraction like no other in Greater Cincinnati.

        The Levee, which officially opens Wednesday, will offer a whirlwind entertainment menu with movies, games, food and shopping. It will piggyback on the successful Newport Aquarium along the Northern Kentucky riverfront.

        But to prosper, developer Steiner & Associates acknowledges that the $200 million Levee must continually draw a wide mix of Greater Cincinnatians and regional tourists.

Workers pressure wash a plaza at Newport on the Levee. The shopping, dining and entertainment complex officially opens Wednesday. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        “We have a real winner in this location,” said David Wechsler, vice president for Columbus-based Steiner. “We've learned to create a solid balance between retail, entertainment and restaurants.”

        Indeed, the Levee's tenant list thus far is impressive.

        Joining the aquarium will be a 20-screen AMC theater and thesix-story Firstar 3-D Imax, which opened Sept. 14. Those who don't want to sit in front of a screen can play at GameWorks or catch a live performance at Shadowbox Cabaret, which opens Wednesday.

        Restaurants that will have their sole Tristate outlet at the Levee will include Brio Tuscan Grille, a family-owned Italian eatery, and Mitchell's Fish Market. An Oakley favorite, Dewey's Pizza, will open its second regional store at the Levee.

        The complex eventually will be home to 50 retailers totaling 500,000 square feet, but Steiner has announced only a handful of leases so far with well-known tenants like Barnes & Noble, Pacific Sunwear and American Eagle.

Repeat business
        The idea is to offer something for everyone.

        While malls cater to fashion shoppers, leisure projects like Newport on the Levee try to appeal to a broad segment of the population seeking fun and social activities. The key is to hook customers — and keep them returning.

        “If it doesn't draw people back again and again, it will fail,” said Michael Beyard, senior resident fellow for retail and entertainment at the Urban Land Institute. ""That is why the environment is so critical. It has to be a place people enjoy going to.”

        Other massive entertainment and retail projects nationally have a mixed record, said Stan Eichelbaum, president of Marketing Developments Inc. in Cincinnati.

        The Inner Harbor in Baltimore and Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif., have triumphed with an eclectic mix of attractions. But a large-scale entertainment project in San Francisco hasn't fared as well.

        “There has been a lot of talk, but little success,” Mr. Eichelbaum said.

        Steiner designed Newport on the Levee in the manner of old-fashioned town square, hoping to draw visitors and shoppers and create a sense of place. It's a model the developer used for Easton Town Center, a large shopping and entertainment project north of Columbus.

        The Easton project is the only regional development that remotely resembles the mix offered at Newport on the Levee. But it, too, differs, because it was built in a carefully-planned Columbus suburb that was once 1,200 acres of green farmland.

        The Levee project is transforming an aging river town that many people see as an extension of downtown Cincinnati.

        In fact, downtown Cincinnati boosters encourage the Newport development, even though it will compete with retail such as Tower Place Mall.

        “It draws people closer to downtown,” said David Ginsburg, who oversees Downtown Cincinnati Inc.'s downtown and office efforts. “The idea that there is this artificial barrier, a win-lose mentality, is really detrimental to the region.”

        A visitor can spend a day shopping at the Levee before crossing a bridge to eat at a downtown Cincinnati restaurant, Mr. Ginsburg said. Similarly, a visiting Reds fan may take in a game and spend the night at a Northern Kentucky hotel.

        Yet, as downtown Cincinnati merchants know, convincing people to leave the suburbs to catch a performance at the Levee's comedy club or theaters will be a challenge. Parking and access are the chief concerns.

        Mr. Beyard agrees. Massive retail and entertainment destinations struggle if people have difficulty reaching them.

        “Connectivity is so important,” Mr. Beyard said. “If it's a pain in the neck, inconvenient or ugly, you'll have far fewer people coming.”

Getting connected
        And though the Northern Kentucky riverfront is in the midst of a $1 billion boom of office and housing, its entertainment and retail venues have had mixed success.

        Floating restaurants such as Barleycorns and Sloppy Joes have closed in the last year amid persistent complaints of winter slowdowns.

        Covington Landing — a mix of restaurants and night spots on the river just west of the Roebling Suspension Bridge — has periodically struggled since opening in the late 1980s and was once in bankruptcy.

        One plan to encourage Newport's “connectivity” with downtown Cincinnati will be converting the L&N Bridge into a pedestrian walkway linking downtown and Newport.

        Until that's finished, people will reach the Levee by car and pay for parking. The garage will give visitors the first hour free and charge $1 an hour after.

        The Levee will offer valet parking at lunchtime for a dollar. The idea is Northern Kentucky and downtown office workers will eat at a restaurant and shop during lunch on weekdays.

        That's part of a strategy to combat a chief weakness of leisure/entertainment developments — few weekday customers.

        “They are heavily weekend-oriented,” Mr. Eichelbaum said.

The right mix
        In addition to parking incentives, Mr. Wechsler said the tenant mix will encourage people to come at different times.

        Rookwood Commons, an open-air mall in Norwood, has attempted to capture that mix with its office, retail and restaurants.

        Although retail and dining dominate Rookwood, developer Jeffrey Anderson Real Estate wants to add variety for its office crowd with the opening of The Pub at Rookwood Mews this winter.

        Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli said he thinks that the Newport Levee will not only survive but thrive because it has so much to offer.

        “It's an entertainment mecca, a destination for people,” Mr. Guidugli said. “It's not dependent on just one restaurant or one entertainment venue. They have a lot of options at one location, and we haven't seen that on the river or, quite frankly, anyplace else in this area.”

       Enquirer reporter Pat Crowley contributed.
       

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