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A Look At Downtown Davenport’s East End Transformation Plans

There is another multi-million dollar development project taking place in downtown Davenport. On Friday, September 26th, 2014, the Downtown Davenport Partnershi...

There is another multi-million dollar development project taking place in downtown Davenport.

On Friday, September 26th, 2014, the Downtown Davenport Partnership (DDP) announced that a private developer has been selected to demolish and redevelop the old Howard Johnson hotel on the east end.

"It's a front door to Davenport that hasn't been very welcoming for a long time and so this will really transform a key gateway to downtown," said Kyle Carter, Executive Director of the DDP. "You'll actually see something that you want to see as you come in and, even in the meantime, just getting the building down will be a big upgrade."

The development team includes Bush Construction, NAI Ruhl Commercial Co., Attorney John M. Carroll, and BLDD Architects.

The $25 million proposed project is called Riverwatch Place. It includes six stories with commercial/retail space on the first floor, a restaurant with a river view on the top floor, and Class A office space in between.

"This is filling a hole in the marketplace that needs to be done and that is part of why this project is so important," Carter explained. "Class A just basically means that it's corporate level office space that has the necessary amenities around it that those types of users are looking for."

The Riverwatch Place is just one of several projects happening in downtown Davenport. Carter said more than $200 million in investments is being planned over the next five years. One of those projects includes City Square, which held a kick-off to its project on Thursday, September 25th, 2014.

"The development has been aggressive," said Carter. "We've really kept our foot on the gas and we intend to keep it that way. Success begets success and this kind of momentum is exactly what you want."

"There are several other projects in the works that are significant that hopefully will come to fruition... and not to mention all the modest, but still really great projects going on from facade upgrades to streetscape upgrades to outdoor dining additions. There's all kinds of smaller - not millions of dollars being spent - but still really impressive and really important projects that are in that mix, so it's all part of this big stew that we have going right now that's really exciting."

Business owners on the east end of downtown Davenport are also excited.

"I'm excited at the possibilities," said Rebecca Clark, Co-Owner of Abernathy's, a vintage clothing and accessories store on East 2nd Street. "I'm excited about more people seeing our storefront and recognizing what we do here and getting our name out there and being part of a bigger and larger downtown - that's probably the most exciting part."

Clark said Abernathy's is about to celebrate its first year in business and she's happy they decided to set up shop on the east end.

"We had a lot of people tell us that they thought we were too far out, but we love it here and now we're basically just getting more reasons to love it even more."

Carter said crews are finishing the asbestos and debris removal right now and demolition on the old Howard Johnson hotel is expected to begin by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the development team is putting together the financial part of their plan - which includes a TIF proposal - and they hope to bring it before Davenport City Council before 2013 is over.

A Look At Downtown Davenport’s East End Transformation Plans
A Look At Downtown Davenport’s East End Transformation Plans
A Look At Downtown Davenport’s East End Transformation Plans

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