ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — For several years Rock Island's Watch Tower Plaza has stood vacant, despite marketing efforts and interest from retailers.
The Watch Tower Plaza is a 23-acre site set between 9th Street and 11th Street in the southwest portion of Rock Island.
In 2012 there were plans afoot to bring a Walmart to the site. The planning and talks with the company continued through 2016, but the retailer ultimately decided to build elsewhere.
Since then there haven't been any concrete announcements about what the future holds for Watch Tower Plaza.
In January of 2021, Randall Tweet, the Rock Island City Manager, said although some smaller retailers had expressed interest, the COVID-19 pandemic had dampened any progress on moving forward.
He said any potential large-scale economic development, like the former Walmart deal, would take around 18 months.
So, can anything be done with the site while we wait?
Yes and no.
The majority of the site is construction ready, meaning it is not a smooth or walkable surface - preventing it from being used for pop-up events.
However, there is a parking lot on site on the 9th Street side, just north of Edison Jr. High School that is more maintained. It has been previously used for a flu shot clinic.
Tweet said the city would be open to working with someone interested in organizing events in the space. Call the city at 309-732-2012 or email Tweet at tweet.randall@rigov.org
According to Retro Quad Cities, the space used to be home to several retailers like a department store, supermarket, liquor store, drug store, and more.
