'It’s been quite a ride': Terry Spaeth retires after 35 years in local government

After more than three decades helping shape economic development efforts in Rochester, Terry Spaeth is laying the groundwork for retirement.

Spaeth, who up until Friday served as deputy city administrator, first joined local government in 1986 as a member of the former city/county planning department. He later transitioned to the city administration office, where he spent 24 years primarily working on economic development.

In retiring, Spaeth becomes the latest in a string of longtime administrators who have exited their posts in recent years. Combined with Steve Kvenvstold (retired in 2017) and Gary Neumann (2018), city administration has lost more than a century’s worth of experience in four years.

Developing downtown

When Spaeth began in local government, downtown was mostly a quiet medical campus without many of the amenities present today.

But around the mid- to late-80s, the conversation began to change, he says. It was around then the city began working with local developers — notably Gus Chafoulias — on a number of transformational projects downtown.

“Back in the day when I first started over at planning, that’s when the city really started undertaking its downtown redevelopment,” said Spaeth, in an interview with Med City Beat. “That’s back when these Centerplace [now U.S. Bank] and Galleria projects were being worked on and developed.”

Around that same period, the city began investing in its skyway system to connect Mayo’s medical facilities with hotels and parking. It would be the start of a decades-long effort to make downtown a destination.

“It was almost like an early version of DMC,” said Spaeth.

Spaeth remained on with the city through the 90s and 2000s, working on a range of projects, from affordable housing initiatives to the development of a technology park sub-division by Valleyhigh Drive and West Circle Drive.

By the time DMC came to be, Spaeth had positioned himself to be one of the point people on the $5.6 billion undertaking. Working out of the spotlight, he would go on to play a crucial role in the development of the Hilton Hotel, Berkman Apartments, and the first Discovery Square buildings.

“Terry’s impact in downtown Rochester is something that we are going to see and feel downtown for a long time,” said DMC Executive Director Patrick Seeb, during a presentation honoring Spaeth with the 2020 Sandy Keith Downtown Impact Award.

Lessons learned

With his departure, Spaeth’s role will be split up among a few different people as part of a restructuring of the administration.

Asked what his advice would be for those about to assume his responsibilities, he said: focus only on what you can control.

Spaeth pointed to the proposed Bloom riverfront project, which he sunk scores of hours into. Despite a lofty vision, the development never got off the ground — with the developer scrapping the project years into the planning process. Spaeth said the series of events “took the wind out of my sails,” but also reminded him of an important lesson.

“When you get involved in economic development, you have to remember as a city person, ‘you are not the developer,’” said Spaeth. “You are working with them to try to facilitate making a project happen. But at the end of the day, there are certain things you don’t have control over. You can just do the best you can and hope you can bring these projects to a finish line.”

Despite the setback, Spaeth said he believes the 2o-year DMC plan is playing out as it was intended to — adding that he looks forward to watching the progress of Heart of the City, Discovery Walk, and other projects that are just now in the early phases of development.

In the meantime, though, Spaeth says he plans to unplug and unwind; and when it becomes safer to do, travel more with his wife.

“When I started, the reality is I didn’t really know specifically what it would entail and how it would take off here in town with all of the different projects I have been able to work on over the years.”

“It’s been quite a ride,” he added. “I just need to step back, and decompress for a while.”

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.