Not only will the SkyStar Wheel stay on Cincinnati's riverfront. It'll grow.

A bigger, permanent observation wheel could replace the current temporary one once Hamilton County and the SkyStar Wheel owners reach a long-term agreement, said Todd Schneider, managing partner of the SkyStar parent company in St. Louis.

It would take about a year before the current wheel is replaced. The new one will reach 200 feet high, 50 feet taller than the current wheel.

"We're looking at improving the whole lot," Schneider said. "The wheel sitting there now was designed to be removed."

That means a permanent concession stand and better landscaping will surround the new observation wheel, Schneider said. He said the non-profit ArtsWave will create public art installations. The "Sing the Queen City" sign will move over to accommodate the public art.

Renderings of the wheel and the surrounding lot will be released in the next month when the deal is expected to be finalized between Hamilton County and SkyStar.

Both county officials and Schneider said they don't see any impediments to reaching a deal. It's just a matter of signing the documents. The current proposed long-term lease for SkyStar at The Banks would be for 10 years with an option for two five-year extensions.

In the meantime, the current wheel will continue spinning. In the 10 months since it opened in September, 250,000 people have ridden the wheel, Schneider said.

Schneider said he loves to see the posts on social media depicting the SkyStar wheel.

"The social media side of it has been amazing," Schneider said. "It has spread like wildfire. It never ceases to amaze me the different angles and perspectives people come up on the wheel, whether reflection in a puddle, or a riverboat floating by."

Across the river, another observation wheel is planned in Newport. St. Louis-based Koch Development has plans for a 235-foot tall, $14 million "SkyWheel" at Newport on the Levee.

The Newport City Commission in April approved a lease agreement with Koch Development. When construction would start wasn't clear.

Calls to Newport City Manager Tom Fromme and Koch Development were not immediately returned Monday.

Schneider said he wasn't worried about the plans for a SkyWheel a few hundred feet away.

"We're not worried about them," Schneider said. "I don't know why they'd build one when we have one at The Banks."