Sam's Club has submitted a preliminary concept plan for a new store and gas station off John Deere Road to Moline's Planning Commission. Sam's Club is interested in building next to Menards on 44th Avenue. The lot is part of the 92-acre "Valley View Village" area, which is owned by Menards, and is a location the city has been working to develop for years.
Shopper Sue Lillybeck said the announcement was good news for her. As a small business owner, Lillybeck often makes the trip to Iowa to visit the Davenport Sam's Club.
"I'm from Illinois, I look forward to having a location in Illinois because it will save me a lot of time, and I'll still save the money," said Lillybeck.
The city hopes she'll spend that money in Moline.
"We're excited. We've been hoping to see more retail interest in the John Deere corridor, that's something that we've been planning for," said Moline's Land Development Manager Shawn Christ.
Sam's Club would join a handful of other new developments in the area, including Menards, Valley View Apartments, and Zimmerman Honda. Green Hyundai opened its doors in November and has already seen an increase in traffic to the area.
"I think any business that's looking to expand in Moline, Illinois, is going to look on John Deere Road," said Green General Manager Chad Dresing.
Dresing hopes Sam's Club will help the development become the center of the action.
"I think it's fantastic. Anytime you can bring a big-box store in, it's going to be better for development. You're going to have a lot more people down here all the time. Anytime you have activity somewhere else, it creates activity everywhere, so we're really excited to have that, and hopefully that'll bring other businesses to this development," said Dresing.
It's what the city's been pushing for -- meeting with developers and talking about everything from marketing to utility extensions.
"We have a number of remaining lots, and we're hoping to see more retail interest. We're hoping to see more restaurant interest, and then also hoping to see some smaller commercial strip centers, small retail spaces," said Christ.
The Planning Commission will discuss the proposal at a meeting Wednesday. It's still very early in the process -- there won't be any vote or decision at the meeting. If things go well, though, construction could begin as soon as this spring.