How Covington is working to attract developers to former IRS site, known as Central Riverfront project

BY NATHAN GRANGER | LINK nky KENTON COUNTY REPORTER

Florida-based marketing firm BusinessFlare presented strategies to the Covington Board of Commissioners in late July on how to attract developers to the Covington Central Riverfront development project.

The project will be located on the former site of the IRS data processing center along the Ohio River.

The IRS announced that it was vacating the city-owned land in 2014. The agency had employed about 4,000 people out of the site and was one of the city’s largest employers.

After the IRS’ departure, the city drafted a master development plan that calls for a mix of land uses, including commercial and residential space as well as an expansion of the Northern Kentucky Convention Center and a refurbished street grid.

In February, the city contracted with BusinessFlare to consult on identifying ideal developers for the land and methods for marketing the project throughout the nation. Covington Mayor Joe Meyer described the recent presentation as a way of keeping the city and Board of Commissioners informed about Covington’s marketing efforts, in the spirit of transparency.

The city opened requests for development proposals on four land plots at the end of May. Covington’s Director of Economic De- velopment Tom West said that the city had already received and was analyzing proposals for the land parcels. There are currently no active requests for proposals for the other land parcels on the site.

About midway through the meeting, West introduced BusinessFlare’s founder Kevin Crowder, who gave the presentation.

“After a very long master planning process that involved more than a year of public participation, we’re achieving an amount of momentum,” West said.

Crowder said that BusinessFlare’s philosophy for economic development tried to achieve “economic development (and) economic growth in a way that is compatible and consistent with who a place is, with your character, not looking at economic development from the perspective of growth just for growth’s sake.

“Economic development is about creating a place people want to be,” Crowder added.

Crowder went on to say that marketing should establish the site’s credibility as a sound investment. He also discussed recent market trends in development.

He argued that attracting a talented workforce is essential for ensuring the longterm economic success of the district. What’s more, the workforce talent of today has particular tastes,” he said.

“We see nationally, these trends of people, especially talent and workforce, wanting that downtown experience,” Crowder said.

Other points of Crowder’s presentation included the need for safety, the importance of creating a welcoming and pleasing atmosphere and strategies for marketing the site to developers on a national level.

Watch BusinessFlare’s full presentation at the Telecommunications Board of Northern Kentucky’s website at tbnk.org. The presentation begins around the 53-minute mark.

You can also consult the city’s master plan and other documents related to the development project at the city of Covington’s dedicated webpage.