Entrance to the new ballpark was inspired by the terrace at Crosley Field. | ZOOM |

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When Michael Hand first started designing stadiums, there were four things architects worried about most: Can fans readily find parking, hot dogs, restrooms, and a good view of the game?

""The rest was icing on the cake,'' he said.

There will be a lot of icing on the Reds' new ballpark.

Mr. Hand, vice president for Kansas City-based HOK Sport and one of the primary architects designing the Reds' new riverfront home, has changed an important layer of that icing.

He showed off the changes Wednesday to the Urban Design Review Board ... a group of volunteer architects, appointed by Cincinnati City Manager John Shirey, which either approves or rejects the design.

The latest change involves the grand entrance to the new stadium, an $8 million plaza called Crosley Terrace, where about 80 percent of fans will enter.

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The space also is important because it is public, remaining open all year, whether a game is being played or not.

On the plaza's acre of concrete will be six islands of grass, elevated by an 18-inch-high wall. Three of the islands will be sloped to replicate the Crosley Field outfield; the other three will have a pitcher's mound, home plate and on-deck circle, along with statues of Crosley-era players.

Architects have decided to rotate those islands so they align with home plate and the pitcher's mound inside.

""It won't be exact, but you'll get a sense of the ballpark's orientation when you first walk into the plaza,'' Mr. Hand said.

""We hope the first impression here will give people a sense of history and get them back in touch with what it was like to go to the ballpark for the first time,'' he said.

UDRB Secretary Mark McKillip said Mr. Shirey will get the panel's recommendation on the design soon.

""HOK has made a lot of good progress,'' Mr. McKillip said. ""I expect the city manager will take some action when he comes back next week.''

Another change in the plaza area is more subtle.

Designers want vertical lines, which match up with support columns of the main building, running throughout the plaza. Mr. Hand said the lines will be created with a different paving material and different color schemes.

The purpose is to connect the stadium with the outlying buildings separated from the main facility by the plaza.

""It will give a sense of the whole thing being part of the same park,'' Mr. Hand said. ""It will have a feel of the building reaching out into the entirety of the site.''

Joe Spear, lead architect on the project, said he, too, expects the city manager to give his approval soon.

""The board is pleased with the progress and the Reds have been with us every step of the way,'' Mr. Spear said. ""I would be astonished if we had any design issues.''

Mr. Hand also said the stadium design will be wired for ""smart seats,'' expensive seats that feature computer screens so fans can look at player or game information.

It is unclear whether the Reds will install the smart seats right away, but the technology will be there.

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