Two remarkable changes have occurred in Bettendorf's city planning process over the past six months which ultimately could lead to yet another major shift -- a focus on reclaiming the Mississippi riverfront for greater public use and recreation.
The first major change last December occurred pretty much unnoticed. As usual, the city administration and city council met with a Florida-based consultant as part of the annual "goal-setting."
However, unlike previous years under the previous mayor, a laundry list of policy and management "action items" was not forthcoming (the old 2011 goals/action items are still listed on the city web site).
Rather than forging the 2012 policy and management priorities in a vacuum with no public input, the new mayor (apparently with council support) scheduled two public "listening sessions" with an invitation-only group of 86 citizens.
The results from those two sessions held in February were summarized in a report forwarded to council members May 1. And, amid the usual "economic growth" and "excellent city services" mantra, another clear message emerged from those citizens.
The 86 residents expressed that "A strong and deep desire exists to gain use of and access to more of the riverfront. . ."
And, as the forum leaders observed in the report, riverfront development "dominated" the sessions seeking insight into priorities for the next five years.
Participants were asked: "Imagine it is 2017. Looking back at the last five years, what would you like to see as the three most important accomplishments the City of Bettendorf has made?
Riverfront development was mentioned 25 times, significantly ahead of "Middle Road/I-80 Development" (16) and "downtown development" (8). That catch-all generalization "general economic growth" only got 21 mentions.
To quote the report:
"Riverfront development dominated the suggestions made throughout this section (priorities for next five years) of each evening with more than one in 10 suggestions directly related to riverfront development and many more indirectly related.
Overall, people expressed a very strong desire for development along the riverfront with 'something other than the casino and hotel.'"
The city has paid scant attention and invested little in the riverfront since the arrival of the casino riverboat more than a decade ago.
The last major city expenditure for riverfront improvement (outside of the recent recreation trail extension paid mostly with federal dollars) was to buy and remove the infamous lime pile next to the I-74 bridge. That was in 2001. At one point, the city even considered heading in the opposite direction and selling its property adjacent to Leach Park for industrial development.
Perhaps the citizens at February's meetings had visited the new riverfront parks in Rock Island and Davenport. Or, maybe they've seen the new office tower and university campus taking shape across the river along Moline's riverfront.
Whatever the reasons, those citizens put the riverfront -- and the need for improvements and better access -- at the top of the city council's "to do" list.
Another council "goal-setting" session is scheduled May 31 with its planning consultant to presumably put together the city's new long- and short-range agenda.
How the mayor and council respond to those 86 voices could be a another remarkable turning point in the future of Bettendorf and its riverfront.
