Andrew Laurens, 32, isn’t a bigwig in Cincinnati, but he has been involved in some big projects. As campaign strategist for the Broadway Commons campaign, Laurens played an important role in researching the Reds stadium site and downtown in general.
Although that issue was defeated, Laurens said he remained committed to and interested in city revitalization projects.
So when he heard about the formation of a Riverfront Advisory Commission, he decided to get involved again.
The Riverfront Advisory Commission is charged with recommending what mix of retail, commercial and housing developments should go on the riverfront between the new Reds and Bengals stadiums.
Laurens sent letters to Mayor Roxanne Qualls and Cincinnati City Councilman Phil Heimlich, expressing his interest in being on the commission. With his experience in downtown development issues as an architectural designer, he thought he was qualified for a seat on the commission.
But he said he never heard if he had been chosen or not until the names of commission members were announced Jan. 25.
After seeing the names of the people on the commission, Laurens wondered if politics played the biggest role in choosing the members.
“It looks like they went for the prestigious and non-troublemaking types, (although some are) outside the circle,” he said.
“These are all somebodies. I’m nobody.”
But Qualls said, “There were many people who expressed an interest in serving on the commission who were qualified.”
She said that the challenge was to put together a commission with a mix of skills and experience that could move forward with plans to solicit proposals from developers by this summer while also making sure that the commission did not become too large to function. “It was not a political choice,” she said.
Heimlich said, “There was no politics that I’m aware of.”
Heimlich also said he did not recall reviewing a letter from Laurens.
While some people sent letters or called council members or commissioners to express their interest in being involved, Heimlich said there was not a formal application process.
“We went out and looked for people who had special expertise in developing the riverfront,” Heimlich said.
Heimlich said that he along with Qualls and Hamilton County Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus headed up the process of choosing the 16-member commission. Council members and commissioners gave final approval to the panel last week.
A Nov. 25, 1998, city council motion listed the selection criteria for the commission. According to the motion, the desired professional qualities of the members were to have included one or more of the following:
· Background in retail, entertainment, residential, hotel or office development, leasing, management or ownership.
· Background in legal or financial planning for large commercial projects and how they relate to market dynamics.
· Background in the entertainment industry.
· Background in planning, architecture or landscape architecture.
· High interest in revitalization of downtown.
· Creative, “big picture” thinker.
· Willingness to attend two meetings per month for six months.
· Understanding of public/private partnerships, the tasks required, and the coordination of several entities to accomplish results.
· Ability to build consensus among key downtown stakeholder groups.
Laurens said he clearly was qualified for a number of reasons. He has a degree in architecture and had done his thesis on downtown revitalization, he said. Laurens said he had been studying the riverfront area and the issues surrounding it for two years.
“I am extremely conscious of how the riverfront relates to the rest of the city,” he said. “I’ve studied the site. I’m up-to-date on the facts.”
Laurens also said that working for FRCH Design Worldwide, the fourth-largest architectural firm that specializes in retailing in the country, had given him experience in just the kind of development that is being proposed for the riverfront.
Laurens said it did not appear to be lack of experience that kept him off the commission.
“My politics and the fact that I don’t have certain relationships … is what kept me off the commission.”
After the Broadway Commons issue was defeated in the November 1998 election, Laurens said Baseball on Main supporters encouraged Broadway Commons supporters to “come on board” with riverfront development plans. Laurens thought involvement in the Riverfront Advisory Commission was a chance to prove that.
“I tried to get involved, but clearly politics and relationships are driving the shape of the Riverfront Advisory Commission and, unfortunately, the shape of the riverfront.” ©
This article appears in Feb 3-9, 1999.