East Moline gets new housing, plans for Casey’s

East Moline is getting new homes and businesses, and getting ready for more projects. Those were some of the top messages delivered during the Revitalize and Develop East Moline (REDEEM) annual meeting held Thursday, April 17, at The Bend Event Center in East Moline. REDEEM is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting commercial, industrial, and […]

East Moline is getting new homes and businesses, and getting ready for more projects. Those were some of the top messages delivered during the Revitalize and Develop East Moline (REDEEM) annual meeting held Thursday, April 17, at The Bend Event Center in East Moline. REDEEM is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting commercial, industrial, and recreational development that enhances both the tax base and the quality of life in East Moline. Much of the brief annual meeting was devoted to highlighting recent accomplishments, and looking forward to future projects. One of those projects is the upcoming construction of a Casey’s convenience store that will go at the corner of Avenue of the Cities and Seventh Avenue. The deal to bring Casey’s to East Moline has been finalized and a groundbreaking for the new store is expected in the near future, said Tim Knanishu, the former REDEEM executive vice president, during the annual meeting. “It will really be a boon to the Avenue of the Cities,” he added. That new Casey’s was mentioned by East Moline Mayor Reggie Freeman as one of the upcoming projects in the city during the recent East Moline State of the City address. Casey’s has more than 2,900 stores in 20 states. In addition, REDEEM officials also reviewed the ongoing progress to build new homes in East Moline’s area called The Quarter. (That new housing development is in The Quarter, an area of the city along Beacon Harbor Parkway near the Mississippi River and a bike trail.) Construction has begun on Lot 5 with site preparation, footings and foundations in the works. The contractor B & L Development will construct 14 homes on this site, according to information presented at the annual meeting. In the past three years, there have been 47 homes built at The Quarter. Another 18 will be built by the end of this year, bringing the total construction in four years to 65 homes. These units add $5.6 million to the taxable equalized assessed value to the city, REDEEM leaders said. REDEEM members also were told that the organization will receive an Eddy Award from the River Action group at its annual Fish & Fire event, which will be at 5 p.m., Thursday, May 1, at the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center in Bettendorf. REDEEM, along with B& L Development, will be honored for redevelopment efforts at The Quarter, according to information from River Action. In addition to the upcoming award, leaders were told about possible developments at the former Quad City Downs race track property. REDEEM officials have provided information to several organizations about a possible sale of the property. In recent months, that information has been provided to Churchill Downs, John Deere & Co. and CBRE Global, according to information provided at the annual meeting. Others matters discussed during the annual meeting included:

• REDEEM’s board elected these 2025 directors and officers — Jay Morrow, president; Jennifer Hirsch, vice president and treasurer; Tadd Griffith, secretary; and Jenelle Wolber, executive vice president.
• The membership also approved the following to serve as directors: Larry Anderson of East Moline Glass Co.; Julie Bisby of Blackhawk Bank & Trust; Amy Clark of Greater Metropolitan Area Housing Authority; Andrew Dasso of Streamline Architects; Jerry Lack, retired from Tri-City Building and Construction Trades Council; Jeff Murphy of Murphy Insurance; Lyndsay Smith of TBK Bank; John Stopoulos, a business owner; and Greg Theis of MidAmerican Energy Corp.
• After the annual meeting, a retirement celebration was held for Mr. Knanishu, who served 15 years as executive vice-president of REDEEM.

Mr. Morrow called Thursday’s events a “bittersweet time” for the REDEEM organization. He added it was great to hear the update of accomplishments and welcoming Ms. Wolber to REDEEM. But it was also a sad time as the group said goodbye to Mr. Knanishu.