On a chilly, wind-whipped Wednesday, Rock Island city leaders and local developers gathered for a groundbreaking marking a controversial project at 3809 60th Ave. West, Rock Island, across Illinois 92 from Bally’s Casino and Hotel.
The 10-acre project – to build a new cannabis dispensary, gas station, convenience store, and park area -- is led by Matt Stern in partnership with Rymak Construction CEO Jeff Hughbanks, Hodge Construction and Trent Jacquin, a founding member of Nature’s Treatment of Illinois (NTI).
NTI plans to own and operate the new dispensary, following the success of its first QC location, less than six miles east in Milan. (It also has a site in downtown Galesburg.)
“This is an exciting day for the city of Rock Island, as we celebrate the groundbreaking of the dispensary and gas station project,” said Second Ward Alderman Randy Hurt. “This development is expected to create a positive fiscal impact for the city and be a catalyst for future development.”
“The developers worked closely with the city's economic development team, meeting all project requirements. I'd like to add, to provide a balance between economic development and environmental protection, the city established a 600-acre conservation easement to ensure the long-term preservation of the wetlands and wildlife habitat,” he added.
The project encountered significant public opposition, with the Save Milan Bottoms Facebook page posting last spring: “This area is crucial for Blandings turtles, migratory cranes, and bald eagles, the latter of which uses it as one of the most significant winter roosting sites in the continental U.S. These and likely many other threatened, endangered, and protected species depend on this land for survival, and protecting it is essential for their future success rates.
\“Yet while these wetlands stand as vital, living sanctuaries, the city envisions concrete and commerce. Every inch of development chips away at living poetry of what is and what could be, written in water and wild reeds.
“Each sighting of threatened and endangered species, especially in regions like Rock Island, offers rare and invaluable glimpses into the ongoing struggle for survival. We cannot afford to remain silent in the face of such a critical ecological battle. We must stand together to Save Milan Bottoms,” the group posted.
“If the city is serious about conserving these habitats, it must act now to ensure this critical area remains safe from development. It’s time to prioritize real, impactful conservation efforts that support our local wildlife.
“The City of Rock Island must include the additional 10 acres of high ground in its wetland conservation easement if it is genuinely committed to preserving these vital habitats.
“We know the TIF funds must be spent in this area within the next two years, and that there are guidelines on how these funds can be used (i.e: not for new buildings, which is why the proposed Business Development District or BDD was created),” Save Milan Bottoms said. “However, we need to think outside the box – economically and ecologically – and allow money and nature to run together in confluence.”
An online petition (with 2,996 signatures as of March 29, 2025) noted a group of citizens and local environmental organizations urged the City Council to consider the myriad impacts of this project and alter the proposed development.
“We had some opposition early on and the city and also the development team here, they dotted all the Is and crossed all the Ts,” Ald. Hurt said Wednesday. “They did everything the city asked. We had all the studies done. And so then we took it a step further and because we knew this was a concern to preserve a lot of the wildlife and the habitat around here. That's why we put 600 acres to protect that wildlife.”
Hughbanks has said Nature’s Treatment of Illinois (NTI) has done so well in Milan, it wants to relocate in a larger facility in Rock Island, with the development planned to cost between $12 million and $15 million.
“We’ve outgrown the space we’re at now. This will allow us to incorporate a smoking lounge, a food service venue out back with an entertainment area,” he said in March 2025. “We really took a lot of time and effort to get to this point here, to really fit this development into the area.”
He noted that NTI (973 Tech Drive, Milan) is the most successful in the state of Illinois – among 244 dispensaries total, all generating a total of more than $2 billion in 2024 sales.
The adjacent tax-increment financing (TIF) district, used to help with the casino development, was identified as having funds that can be used to build the road and extend utilities.
TIF funds can’t be used for new construction so the city decided to establish a new business development district (BDD) in the same area. Unlike TIFs, which generate revenue from increased property taxes, the BDD produces revenue from increased sales taxes, according to the city.
In late January 2025, the city approved a new development agreement for the Casino West plan, and a consultant began work on expansion of the existing TIF district and creation of the new BDD.
The agreement requires the development to be built within three years, with up to $6 million in sales tax revenue rebated to the developer. The city will only reimburse funds that are eligible BDD and TIF expenses, and the city is not obligated to pay the full $6 million if the developer fails to submit eligible expenses for repayment, or if there is not $6 million in eligible expenses, according to the agreement.
Rock Island’s total economic incentive, including the development of off-site infrastructure, will not exceed $6 million nor more than 50 percent of the total project costs, whichever is less.
The Rock Island City Council also approved a new Business Development District within the Casino West development area. The district will be funded by an additional 1% tax on all businesses within its boundaries to support future growth, improvements and ongoing environmental stewardship.
The Business Development District will generate the 1% tax, which all businesses within the newly-created district must pay. Now, it’s basically Bally's and will include the dispensary and gas station.
Property from RiverStone donation
The project was first made possible by RiverStone Group, which donated 538 acres of land to the city of Rock Island in November 2022. Of this, only 10 acres (sold to the developers) are eligible for development.
The 10 acres being developed are not wetlands or in the floodplain. The TIF district was expanded geographically to include the wetlands so that the city can invest some of the property taxes on preserving and improving the surrounding wetlands, and there is a city wetlands task force that works to protect the area.
The developer plans to keep the tree line that borders the back portion of the property as a barrier between the facility and the wetlands/wooded area and construct a protective berm.
The NTI cannabis dispensary and gas station will incorporate eco-friendly landscaping.
“It's a good opportunity for the city to get some financial resources that the city's been needing for a long time. And we're hoping that spurs future development out here,” Hurt said Wednesday. “We think it's a great thing out here. It's going to bring people from across Quad Cities over here and we're looking forward to it.”
“As far as employment goes out here, I think it's gonna really do a lot of good out here because we not only have the gas station, we'll have a convenience store and there will be the car wash and then the dispensary,” he said. “I’m not quite sure of numbers yet.”
“I do understand the emotional ups and downs that came with this development,” Mayor Ashley Harris said. “But also as mayor, I do know that the responsible decisions making that work behind this, we do have some homegrown partners in our developers and our investment in our investors here. And I have confidence that they love Rock Island just as much as us. And we believe that this place will bring a lot of happy customers and a lot of happy taxpayers from the city of Rock Island.
“This development, it's going to be a beautiful thing. Rock Island is on the uptick here and this is symbolic of that,” he added.
Stern, a Rock Island native, graduated from the University of Illinois with honors in finance. He went on to work in finance in New York City, London and Tokyo, and oversaw Russian operations for Deutsche Bank. He returned to Rock Island to help lead his family’s business, Stern Beverage. He is actively involved in the medical cannabis industry through NTI in Milan.
“We know this project is going to work. It's going to be great,” Stern said Wednesday. “We know it's going to spur on additional jobs and revenue for the city.”
This year will be 18 years since the Bally’s Quad Cities Casino opened (Dec. 1, 2008), and the city has long worked to attract development around it, Harris said.
“It should bring a lot of happy customers. I know that it is a
business that hopefully will attract extra people to the city of Rock Island as a whole,” he said, estimated that the development will also generate over $2 million a year in new tax revenue to the state and city.
“That will relieve the burden of our taxpayers,” Harris said. “That will free up some money for our infrastructure. We'll free up some money that we’ve been in dire need of. So this is pluses all around the board.”
Aside from the NTI project, the development includes a gas station, led and owned by Trent Jacquin, and a car wash that will also feature a dog wash facility. A dog park has been added at the request of Stern’s mother, which required a redesign of the site layout.
Additional features of the development include a dispensary with a smoking lounge and an indoor space for food trucks—creating a destination for both visitors and the local community.
Stern and his partners support the preservation of 400 acres of the Southwest Rock Island Wetlands as a Land and Water Reserve, reflecting a shared commitment to responsible growth, environmental protection and long-term conservation, according to a city release.
The site, previously used for industrial purposes, is located directly adjacent to the highway, making it well-suited for commercial redevelopment, the city said, noting that importantly, the development is contingent upon preserving the wetlands, which had not previously been part of active development discussions.
“This project reflects a careful balance of economic opportunity and community responsibility,” Stern said. “We’re glad to work with our partners and the city of Rock Island to create something that benefits the region for years to come.”
The timetable for construction is to complete the gas station, car wash and convenience store by December 2026, and the NTI dispensary and park features done by April 2027, Hurt said.
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