Should Davenport help developers remove a downtown eye-sore, replace it with new commercial and office space, and create jobs ? Tonight the city council will consider millions of dollars worth of assistance for RiverWatch Place.
Bruce Berger, director of community planning and economic development, says a group of local residents and companies wants to demolish the old Howard Johnson's hotel at the foot of Government Bridge, and replace it with a six-story, mixed use building. The city would help with tax increment financing.
The maximum rebate would be 5.2 million dollars, spread out over 15 years.
Berger emphasizes Davenport would still receive higher property tax revenue from the new development, and it would remove some "blight" from downtown.
If approved, he thinks demolition could begin soon, with new construction starting in the summer or fall.
