Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati engaged Urban Design Associates to prepare a plan to give direction in two public policy areas: A Riverfront Steering Committee made up of City and County elected officials and staff was formed as a joint policy board for the Central Riverfront Plan.

The preparation of a final Master Plan was delayed due to a November 1998 public referendum on the siting of the Reds Stadium.

The result of that effort was The Banks, a September 1999 report from the Advisors which contained recommendations on land use, parking, finance, phasing, and developer selection for the Central Riverfront.

The first phase, which opened in summer of 2011,[6] included Current at the Banks,[7] a building containing 300 apartment units atop 96,000 square feet of street-level retail space.

[11] The City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, and a joint venture between Carter and The Dawson Co. formed The Banks Public Private Partnership to secure funding and develop the project.

[14][15][16] On July 2, 2019, it was announced that the owners, SkyView Partners, planned to return to the area and install a permanent 180-foot tall (54.9 m) observation wheel set to open by March 5, 2021.