Downtowns staging a comeback

City planners throughout the Quad-Cities predict a resurrection of downtown life in the new millennium.

However, the new downtowns will not be what they were in their glory years -- retail trade centers. Rather, the focus will be on entertainment, professional services and residential development.

Rock Island

Alan Carmen, planning and redevelopment director for Rock Island, said a thriving downtown reflects a thriving city as a whole. The advent of regional malls and shopping centers in the 1960s and '70s took a heavy toll on merchants In Rock Island and every other Quad-Cities downtown, Mr. Carmen said.

Through the 1970s and '80s, many storefronts were vacant and pedestrians were few and far between on downtown streets, he said. Not until the last 10 years or so has urban renewal and redevelopment become a buzzword among planners, when it became apparent cities with active centers were healthier.

``One of the key things the vitality a downtown gives is an indication of a community's overall strength,'' Mr. Carmen said. ``We have been promoting reinvestment and reutilization downtown for many years.''

Knowing it would be difficult, if not impossible, to lure retail business back to the city center, Rock Island focused on the theme of arts and entertainment, hoping retail and residential development would follow later. The strategy appears to be working, Mr. Carmen said.

``Having a theme helps crystallize people's thoughts and focus on downtown,'' he said. ``In the future, I think it will become even more vibrant, with more people living downtown and more businesses and retail stores. We'll see more of a 24-hour downtown in the future.''

Moline

Like his counterpart in Rock Island, Moline's land development manager Jeff Anderson views the health of downtown as a barometer for the health of the community. A vibrant downtown can also help stabilize property values citywide, he said.

``If the downtown is in decline, it normally will ripple out into the rest of the community,'' Mr. Anderson said. ``The concept of in-filling and redevelopment helps prevent sprawl. You are using existing infrastructure that doesn't need to be duplicated.''

Moline has a good track record of reusing its downtown resources, Mr. Anderson said.

``The role downtown filled at one time was the industrial riverfront with a supporting commercial area,'' he said. ``That's been turned upside down. Both industry and commerce moved out. Consequently, we're left with a question of what to do with these areas.''

One thing Moline did was extend economic incentives and enter into partnerships with large companies like Deere to take old factory sites and convert them to new uses.

That plan resulted in projects like The Mark, John Deere Commons and the conversion of the Consumers Warehouse building into a new corporate office and retail space.

Using incentives like Tax Increment Financing districts, enterprise zones and economic development loan funds helps get the ball rolling, Mr. Anderson said.

After the initial success, redevelopment picks up pace, he added.

``Once you get projects going, there seems to be inertia,'' he said. ``People start looking for you instead of you looking for people.''

He sees a bright new millennium for downtown Moline.

``I see more conversion to professional services and entertainment and a continued effort to support The Mark and entertainment activities,'' he said. ``It's also extremely important, if you want people on the streets, to get residential activity going downtown and provide a quality place for people to live. We are heading in that direction with projects like the LeClaire Apartments.''

East Moline

East Moline, too, is looking downtown for the future, said Mayor Bill Ward.

``I feel it's very important to have a downtown where people want to go,'' Mr. Ward said. ``It gives you a sense of pride.''

Members of Revitalize and Develop East Moline (REDEEM) have worked hard both at gaining recognition from the state's Main Street program and developing the mixed use riverfront development The Quarter, said Mr. Ward.

Plans for The Quarter include riverfront luxury condominiums, business offices and a two-story restaurant. Future projects will include a beacon harbor, a marina, a Mississippi River Interpretive Center, a sports park and a trolley station.

``The Quarter project is a very important part of redevelopment,'' Mr. Ward said. ``It connects the riverfront to the downtown. We look for the downtown and the riverfront to be major attractions in the next century.''

Staff writer Tory Brecht can be reached at 786-6441, Ext. 271, or by e-mail at toryb@qconline.com.