Casino developer Dan Kehl said that although he has 100 acres under option south of Interstate 80 and east of Eastern Avenue, the location isn't his "preferred site."
Dozens of residents attended a standing-room only work session Monday night, and they expressed their worries about traffic, lights and noise associated with a casino. Nobody spoke in favor of the location.
"My first instinct was just to list the home. I've lived in Davenport the whole time I've been in the Quad Cities lately, but my first instinct was to become a Bettendorf citizen," said Kristene Anderson, who lives in the nearby Eastern Avenue Farms neighborhood.
Monday, Kehl said those comments were extremely important to take into consideration when choosing a location.
"We're going to be in the community for years to come, and the residents are going to be our customers. We want them to be happy with what we do, and we want to be a good citizen to the community," said Kehl.
Kehl said the location is not the company's preferred site, and that he would prefer to build further west, closer to Brady Street. The Eastern Avenue site has received harsh criticism, not only from neighbors, but city leaders as well.
"If this was a trial balloon, it popped three days ago. So, it's probably something that's not going to be under consideration going forward," said Kehl.
Kehl won't say where his preferred site is located until he has it under contract. He expects to come forward with that location in the next two months.