What had been a vacant lot in downtown Davenport will soon be the site of new apartments and commercial space. Construction has started on a building called "Urbane 210."
Kyle Carter, Executive Director of the Downtown Davenport Partnership, says "210" refers to its address on East Second Street, and "urbane" because it's a unique project.
"We've had lots of renovations but brand new construction like this for market rate buildings is new and that alone is of great interest to us."
The five-story building will include 56, studio, one, and two bedroom apartments, but he's most excited about the ground floor that will feature small spaces for new businesses and entrepeneurs - 600 to 1,000 square feet.
"One of the most common problems we have is that retail is hard enough these days competing with online, et cetera. Most retailers just need a very small footprint to be able to have a brick and mortar presence while doing a lot of work online. You don't need 3 or 4,000 square feet to do that, they can't afford to do that."
The eight million dollar project should be completed in about nine months. And it's made possible by a new program that makes downtown Davenport a "Federal Opportunity Zone." It provides incentives for private investment.
