“Fantastic opportunities” and a “bright future” are ahead for East Moline thanks to a hard-won $24.7 million federal grant to recharge the city’s aging downtown proper and hardwire it to the red-hot development at The Bend. That’s according to city leaders and private sector developers who promise that the project being funded through the Rebuilding […]
“Fantastic opportunities” and a “bright future” are ahead for East Moline thanks to a hard-won $24.7 million federal grant to recharge the city’s aging downtown proper and hardwire it to the red-hot development at The Bend.That’s according to city leaders and private sector developers who promise that the project being funded through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant will transform East Moline for years to come.This map features some of the areas included in The Greater Downtown Revitalization Project. CREDIT 2022 RAISE GRANT APPLICATIONImproving safety, economic opportunity and quality of life in the aging downtown and connecting it to the city riverfront development to the west and nearby redevelopment of The Quarter are keys to success, according to the city’s Greater Downtown Revitalization Project plan. And the large RAISE grant – awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation – will help them get there.A central component of the project is improving connectivity between the 15th Avenue downtown district and the Rust Belt and other Bend riverfront developments off 12th Avenue. Plans focus on walkability between all major points of interest including by attacking railroad track barriers and new streetscaping that includes widened, tree lined streets and pedestrian paths.But the overriding goal of the project, according to East Moline’s successful RAISE application, is to grow a city still working to recover from the lingering impact of the 1980s farm crisis and the more recent loss of a major manufacturer.“Among the Quad Cities, East Moline may have been most significantly hit by the loss of Case, Farmall and International Harvester,” the document said. “In a town of 20,000 people, the Case-International Harvester plant alone once employed 4,300 workers. However, the city, its residents and local businesses have adapted and are planning for a brighter future.”For example, for a little more than a decade public and private sector partners have been making significant progress especially at the 156-acre factory site abandoned by Case-New Holland in 2004. A treelined curbless Festival Street featuring wide pedestrian zones on East Moline’s 15th Avenue is part of the city’s downtown revitalization plan. CREDIT 2022 RAISE GRANT APPLICATIONAmong the partners East Moline city and community leaders singled out for praise are: Deere & Co., which owns and operates East Moline’s John Deere Harvester Works; Streamline Architects’ Andrew Dasso; Total Solutions’ Aaron Tennant; and especially Larry Anderson, president of East Moline Glass, and a committed investor and developer in East Moline.“He’s the man behind the scenes who is making things happen,” said East Moline City Engineer Tim Kammler, who has driven the three-year effort to win the downtown grant.
The man behind the curtain
Mr. Anderson’s hand is in most of the city’s major development wins, locals say, including the biggest game-changer so far: The Bend development featuring the Rust Belt, Hyatt Place and Hyatt House hotels, Combine restaurant, The Bend event center, The Bend XPO center and more.Mr. Kammler called the 103,000-square-foot XPO at 922 Mississippi Parkway, “a phenomenal facility” and he celebrated the presence here of Mecum Auctions, which is drawing huge crowds to East Moline. “The XPO Center is huge. That’s got to be one of the best if not THE best facilities of that type for expos and big events indoors. And it’s here in East Moline.”Mr. Anderson did not respond to the QCBJ’s email request for comment on the grant. But Mr. Tennant, who along with Mr. Anderson is deeply invested in The Bend and East Moline, called the news “phenomenal.” “It was so exciting to hear,” Mr. Tennant said of plans to connect The Bend developments to downtown East Moline’s Palace Tavern. Mr. Tennant and Mr. Anderson’s company purchased and remodeled the landmark East Moline eatery at 701 15th Ave. after it closed two years ago.These days, the Bend is showing no signs of slowing down. A strip mall is under construction off 12th Avenue there. Mr. Tennant – who told the QCBJ that he sold the land to the project’s developer, and was unable to provide any details about the development – declined to share the name of the new owner without permission.Even with all the growth at The Bend, however, the trick for the city continues to be getting people from happening places like the Midwest Ale Works brewery to the rest of East Moline’s downtown area business district. “This has been a rundown and quite frankly historically disadvantaged community in this area,” Mr. Kammler said. “It’s been an old industrial site that just hasn’t had any action since Case New Holland left town and that’s just made a massive void. So being able to have fantastic new development going on in that area is great. But we have to figure out a way to get the old downtown and some of the disadvantaged communities along 15th Avenue in our residential part of town across the tracks and safely into the Bend and walk all along there.” This grant will help do that, Mr. Kammler said, and city leaders aren’t the only ones celebrating as a result. So are East Moline residents. “Thrilled; everyone is thrilled,” he added. “They want to know when we’re going to be doing it and we don’t even have the grant paperwork. Everyone is extremely excited.”
Businesses ‘beyond excited’
That includes Patricia Hansen, president of the East Moline Main Street board, which serves more than 90 businesses in the city. Many of them are located in a downtown that has been quietly growing and adding events that can draw visitors downtown.“The business owners are beyond excited,” Ms. Hansen said. The city worked hard to ensure public input and buy-in for the project from anyone who wanted to have a voice, she said, including from the Main Street organization.That group also “has volunteered tirelessly to grow events, help create beautiful spaces and enhance what we already have.” Ms. Hansen added. “This grant will be pivotal in the next steps and a complete game changer for downtown.” Tim Knanishu, executive vice-president of Revitalize and Develop East Moline (REDEEM), agrees. “The city demonstrated their engagement and perseverance by continuing to seek this grant not once, not twice but three times and then achieved success,” he said. “The receipt of this grant provides fantastic opportunities and a bright future for downtown East Moline.” Mr. Knanishu added “The future is bright and when this is completed it certainly shows why ‘East Moline is a Welcome Difference,’” referencing the city’s tagline.East Moline Third Ward Alderwoman Nancy Mulcahey said: “The streetscaping and pedestrian linkages will make the connections safer and more appealing to visitors. This grant will enhance the efforts of our downtown businesses and organizations, and it will play a significant role in our economic development efforts to attract new business and residents to East Moline.”In celebrating the grant, East Moline Mayor Reggie Freeman praised the efforts of the Quad Cities congressional delegation, especially U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, a former East Moline alderwoman. As a result, he said, the city is “looking forward to bringing people to East Moline” to show off what it has to offer.“It’s truly a legacy project for Cheri and for staff here at East Moline and just the whole city,” added Mr. Kammler, who has worked with Ms. Bustos on the effort to lift up the downtown since her days on the council. “This is going to be one that I think the Quad Cities will see and experience the transformation of East Moline downtown for decades.”Ms. Bustos, who was traveling out of the country at press time, released a statement to the QCBJ which also called it “a transformational project.”“By working in partnership with Mayor Freeman and (Illinois U.S. Senators) Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, we’ve been able to come together to secure a historic investment in this community – one that will make downtown East Moline safer, more prosperous and better-connected than ever before. I can’t wait to see the improvements this funding will make possible,” her statement said.Neither can Visit Quad Cities President and CEO Dave Herrell. He called the grant “a massive win for East Moline and the regional destination,” adding that “the potential opportunity to reinvigorate and connect downtown East Moline to The Bend will add significant value to providing a seamless and positive experience for residents and visitors.”For East Moline, he said, “It’s a phenomenal comeback story that is a testament to the will of private sector leaders investing in their community and a public sector that has a great chance to do more. This resource can spur incremental economic growth and activate the community further.”
What’s next for East Moline?
The next step for city leaders is to put together the team of professionals who will guide the project. And the city doesn’t plan to wait until the paperwork arrives before getting started.Mr. Kammler said the city will begin crafting requests for proposals and qualifications from consulting firms to assemble the team of experts who will help the city navigate the federal requirements involved in such projects; for example, environmental, historic and American Disabilities Act. East Moline will pay for that first phase using some of the $4.8 million in local funds it promised as the 20% local match required to capture the $24.7 million grant.Meanwhile, also helping to speed up the city’s revitalization and connectivity efforts is a nearly $2 million ferry boat ramp expected to be built next year by MetroLINK for the Channel Cat at The Bend. Mr. Kammler said the ferry dock had been included in the city’s Master Plan. “We’ve got greatly improved connectivity to the riverfront right there, front and center, where all the other development is going,” Mr. Kammler said. “That’s even more money that’s not coming from East Moline that’s going to be put into the city that people will be able to see and use.”
Highlights of East Moline planned projects include:
15th Avenue reconstruction and streetscaping to accommodate vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists between Sixth Street and 13th Street.
12th Avenue reconstruction and streetscaping between First and Seventh streets.
Seventh Street streetscaping and railroad crossing enhancements between 12th Street and 15th Avenue.
Bend Boulevard and Third Street streetscaping through The Bend.
Extending Bend Boulevard to Seventh Street for connectivity and development.
Enhancing pedestrian connectivity through trail connections, a multi-use trail on 12th Avenue, added crossings and improved sidewalks.
Converting a passive pedestrian, at-grade rail crossing at Seventh Street to an active crossing, improving safety and facilitating connection between the districts.
Giving residents and visitors more transportation options through improved access to transit stops, bike facilities, sidewalks and trails.
Providing blocks of curbless, accessible “festival” streetscaping that creates a multi-use pedestrian zone between shops and streets, building a more flexible and inviting downtown for the future.
Reducing stormwater runoff through use of green infrastructure throughout downtown.
Improving quality of life and strengthening economic development through a renewed sense of place.
Developing a more equitable and accessible East Moline by deliberately investing in historically disadvantaged communities and reclaiming a historic riverfront for all.
