Newport City Manager Tom Fromme announced in a release that the highly anticipated SkyWheel has received permit approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the city will begin moving forward with construction.
In the same release, Matthew Stack, managing director of Koch Development — the developer in charge of the SkyWheel project — said the building schedules and logistics are in their final stages and construction for the wheel will begin "as soon as possible."
The 230-foot-tall observation wheel will be located at Newport on the Levee, offering spectacular views of the Cincinnati skyline. SkyWheel will feature 30 climate-controlled gondolas and will be located adjacent to the Newport Aquarium. It will also include a 13,000-square-foot pedestal along the waterfront, which will be connected to the levee by a 40-foot-wide plaza extension.
City Manager Fromme is excited for SkyWheel and believes the addition will be bring a great deal of tourism to the city.
"What a terrific lineup for the Newport riverfront and the entire region," he said. "We expect about 400,000 riders a year. And because the gondolas are climate-controlled, the SkyWheel can be enjoyed year-round."
Newport has been at the epicenter in a boom of large development announcements this year, including Newport on the Levee's $100 million redevelopment buy-out by North American Properties and the forthcoming $40 million music venue located near the Ohio and Licking rivers.
Newport Mayor Jerry Peluso isn't worried about competition from Cincinnati's SkyStar Observation Wheel, located across the river at The Banks, which recently announced a permanent residency. "Comparing any other local wheel to Newport's SkyWheel is like comparing Mount Adams to Mount Everest," Peluso said in the same release.
For more updates on Newport's SkyWheel, visit newportonthelevee.com.
