Casino news source: Quad-Cities Online - http://qconline.com
Where will Rhythm City Casino move?
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By Ruth Longoria , rlongoria@qconline.com
While Isle of Capri officials wait for Gov. Chet Culver to sign a bill allowing land-based gambling, the city of Davenport is wondering where the casino will go if it leaves the riverfront.
If the governor signs the bill -- already approved in the Iowa legislature -- officials said the Isle likely will move the Rhythm City Casino inland.
Isle of Capri officials have declined to comment on plans, but city administrator Craig Malin said there's been talk that Rhythm City could move to a downtown site, such as the north or south section of the RiverCenter.
The casino already owns the Blackhawk Hotel, adjacent to the RiverCenter, so it wouldn't be difficult to combine that with part of the city-owned RiverCenter, Mr. Malin said. "The casino is leasing land from the city now, so it's possible they could do that at the RiverCenter."
He said the city formed a Blackhawk Task Force last year to discuss renovating the casino-owned hotel and how best to utilize the building, which is vacant.
Mr. Malin said when the city approached Isle of Capri earlier this year about possible redevelopment of the hotel, Isle officials told him and Mayor Winborn about the pending legislation and that the casino could be moving to the Blackhawk or another unnamed site along Interstate 80.
Mr. Malin said he mentioned that the RiverCenter is available for rent and they might want to consider it. He said the RiverCenter is a tremendous city asset, but underutilized. "What we're trying to determine is how best to utilize it."
Ald. Keith Meyer, 3rd Ward, said he talked with Mayor Ed Winborn earlier this week about the prospect of the casino moving into the RiverCenter, a possibility that, he said, wasn't discussed with the council before discussions with casino representatives.
He said he told the mayor "that Malin should have at least asked the council before offering the Isle of Capri the RiverCenter and adjoining green space. Mayor said he assumed everybody would agree with doing so. More of the same in not everybody being involved."
Mr. Malin said, "Mr. Meyer is mistaken" and that he hasn't offered the RiverCenter to the Isle of Capri, and doesn't have the authority to do so. "If the Isle decided they wanted to lease part of the RiverCenter, it would have to be council-approved, just like it's council-approved that they lease the land they are on now."
He said he thought moving the casino downtown, rather than to the interstate, is a better idea. "We have a great downtown. It's all very speculative right now, but if (Isle officials) are looking to optimize their facility and make a $40 million-plus investment, it makes a lot more sense to do it in the downtown area than in a standalone location on the Interstate."
Isle of Capri officials in St. Louis said they couldn't comment on development plans for the Davenport casino "until the plans are specific and confirmed."
Meanwhile, in light of the pending legislation, the city and Davenport Levee Commission have been working on a new master plan for LeClaire Park.
In the last two months, the city has held several public meetings to get ideas from residents, who have suggested everything from a sculpture garden, amphitheater and nature viewing area, to a longer pier with a landing area for a water taxi and a restaurant.
Ald. Meyer, whose ward includes the LeClaire Park site where the Rhythm City is located, has little enthusiasm for the park-vision process, calling it "a lot of design hype going on by the administration."
Although he agrees the city needs to decide what parking should be saved, and that more trees should be planted at the park, he thinks the city should be looking at other priorities in his ward, such as "to make sure restaurants and other businesses north of River Drive are viable, rather than setting out to construct more in LeClaire Park." |
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