The nearly $36 million plan can begin once Rhythm City Casino moves off the Mississippi River. That is not expected to happen until late 2015, but for now, downtown business leaders are sharing what they think of the project and what they would like to see accomplished first.
Parts of the project include turning some of the parking lots between the Rhythm City Casino and the Figge Art Museum into green space, gardens, or even a beach. It also includes replacing the casino boat with a pier, complete with boat slips. To see the plan in full, click here.
Ed Kraklio, Co-Owner of The Fresh Deli by Nostalgia Farms, says the ideas would improve the riverfront.
"If even half of those things could come through, it's going to be beautiful," he told News 8's Angie Sharp on Wednesday, April 2, 2014. " All of these things are really exciting - where people can sit and view the river, enjoy the river, the docking and bringing people in. Hopefully, we can see more of that along the river."
"We really need to focus on downtown Davenport," he added. "It has a lot to offer and we need to be able to tie that as a tourist attraction to all these businesses, tie it together to create one."
Nearby, Tim Schiffer, Executive Director of the Figge Art Museum, says he is also looking forward to a renewed push of the RiverVision project.
"Our piece was done 9 years ago, but we're still here waiting for everything else to kind of reach its potential too so it's good, it's all good for us," he said.
Another piece of the plan is in the Figge's backyard. One of the parking lots would turn into a sculpture garden, which Schiffer says he hopes to participate in putting together.
"It would be fun to try to do some artwork that relates to the river," he said.
Schiffer says he also likes the idea for The Dock on the other side of the casino. The final version of the RiverVision project recommends a smaller version of the developer's plan, but it would still include restaurants and close views of the Mississippi River.