Greater Cincinnati is likely to get $22 million from the state of Ohio to support community projects such as a new concert venue replacing Riverbend Music Center and new giraffe habitat at the Cincinnati Zoo.
The money is part of a larger, $3.7 billion capital budget to pay for infrastructure, school buildings, a new behavioral health hospital and a specialty psychiatric facility for youth mental health.
The Ohio Senate plans to approve the spending plan on June 3. Then, the Ohio House of Representatives will send the bill to Gov. Mike DeWine next week.
Lawmakers collaborated on the list of projects, so few, if any, changes are expected.
For a full list of Hamilton County capital projects, scroll to the bottom of this story.
The Farmer Music Center project received $2.5 million from the state. The $160 million concert venue, also called “Riverbend 2.0,” is scheduled to open in the spring of 2027.
The most money from the state, $30 million, was allocated for renovating the Holmes Hospital building north of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center into a modern facility for the college of nursing.
The nursing college’s growth has exceeded the capacity of its current home in Procter Hall, according to a resolution for the project approved by the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees. The Holmes Hospital building is six floors and 185,000 square feet.
The state also allocated $600,000 for a new giraffe habitat at the Cincinnati Zoo. The Giraffe Tower is expected to open in a couple of years, according to the zoo’s website, and will be in and around the historic elephant building.
Jessie Balmert contributed.
Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@enquirer.com, @ee_glynn on X and @eringlynn on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati projects get $22 million from the state of Ohio
Reporting by Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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