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New Bettendorf downtown to include separate districts, and will be more walkable

It’s a road map for change in Bettendorf that’s no longer just a thought. Over the next five years, the downtown area will evolve. ALSO SEE- Bettend...

It's a road map for change in Bettendorf that's no longer just a thought. Over the next five years, the downtown area will evolve.

ALSO SEE- Bettendorf city leaders unveil new downtown master plan

"I walk downtown here every day to have lunch and meet with folks, so I see the opportunity. It`s a very exciting time and as a life-long Bettendorf resident myself, I`m excited about the potential future here," Bettendorf Economic Development Director Jeff Reiter said.

The grand master plan is far from set in stone, but there are key elements in the idea they're planning to build on.

First, they want to divide the area into six districts, like the River Front and West Bridge. That would give a separate identity to each spot.

"The east end industrial is not the same as the residential, and the east end is not the same as the west end. It gives us the opportunity to break those areas out and discuss the needs of those specific places," Bettendorf Business Network Vice-President Richard Pokora said.

Along with that, Reiter and Pokora are anxious to see how downtown Bettendorf opens up for more people to walk around.

As construction on the new I-74 bridge continues and development grows, Pokora believes that will be the time where they'll see how successful this master plan can be.

"This is the easy phase, when you do the planning. The tough part is when you go to execute the plan and you have to put the money and the effort into what you want to do," Pokora said.

They are pictures that start the conversation.

"Vision is a good word to use for it. It`s a plan that we hope would guide some design," Reiter said.

"It needs a lot of definition, but you`ve got to realize that this is a beginning and not an end," Pokora said.

It's an end that's starting to come together.

The cost associated with the plan will depend on how much development and business growth comes over the next five years. City leaders will be working closely with the Iowa Department of Transportation to make adjustments to the plan as the I-74 bridge project moves forward.

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