Moline has gone to court, hoping to force the owner of some downtown property to pay up. Monday the city filed a lawsuit against the owner of River Station, the Kaizen Company of America, claiming it owes back rent, plus fees and interest.
Tenants at River Station, at 1601 River Drive, now include the Bass Street Chop House and the Quad Cities Chamber.
Moline Mayor Stephanie Acri says Kaizen owes the city 1.5 million dollars.
"We're not doing anything that would compel them to buy the land, and we're not trying to evict them from the land. We're just trying to get them up to date on their past due."
So far, attempts to reach Kaizen for comment have been unsuccessful.
Acri says the city filed a notice of default on the property last fall, but that did not result in additional payments from the company.
Moline's agreement with Kaizen dates back to 2003, and the suit says the company was regularly late in paying rent, depriving the city of money it could use to encourage further downtown development.