03
Aug
2004
It is expected that Hargreaves Associates' "RiverVision Final Report 2004," which is a collaborative plan for the Mississippi riverfronts of Rock Island and Davenport, will be considered for approval by Rock Island's city council on August 9, and Davenport's council on August 18. This means time is of the essence if Davenport residents want to stop Rhythm City Casino's proposal to build a hotel/convention/parking facility directly on the riverfront near the foot of Perry Street.
Proponents of such an expansion argue that by adding a hotel component to the existing riverboat-gambling operation, the increase in revenues would mean additional community reinvestment each year through the Riverboat Development Authority (RDA), which holds the license for the boat and receives a percentage of revenues for re-distribution to not-for-profits. However, the financial structure of the new hotel looks to significantly encumber a portion of the RDA's projected revenue increases in the first decade to help pay for the expansion. This is just one of the many negative consequences to this proposed riverfront development.
Purportedly, close to 80 percent of the Rhythm City Casino's patronage is generated from the local population, compared with the Isle of Capri, whose majority patronage is from outside the area. By adding a hotel to the Davenport operation, proponents claim it will generate more visitors to the area, who will utilize a broader range of products and services offered by the community, thus positively impacting the local economy as a whole. What isn't discussed is that the optimum economic model for casinos is to provide all the core services - such as rooms, food, parking, meeting facilities, etc. - in a single location so that guests have no reason to leave the property and will continue to gamble. This model is exclusive of its surroundings and is really the antithesis to any potential economic multiplier it claims to improve. In other words, by building the hotel, the casino will keep patrons to themselves rather than share them with the rest of the community.
What galls many residents is the fact that city leaders are even considering the downtown riverfront as a location for additional gaming facilities. The lack of architectural sensitivity that characterizes the current casino operation should constitute a glaring red flag to not only remind us that promises of the past were not kept, but that this is the level of aesthetics we can expect for gaming facilities. But even if Rhythm City Casino submitted a tasteful hotel design, it should not be permitted at the proposed Perry Street site, or any other site between the Arsenal Bridge and John O'Donnell Stadium. It is simply inappropriate, not to mention environmentally ridiculous considering the consistent flooding this area experiences. FEMA should be made aware of this proposal, because there are specific limitations and restrictions relative to construction in flood plains. Therefore, should city leaders approve the hotel at this site, such approval might very well jeopardize any federal assistance Davenport gets during flooding season.
The rationale given by the casino for not considering a site west of John O'Donnell, near Centennial Park, does not figure. It is claimed there would be no return on investment at that particular site. Please explain. If the optimum economic model for a casino includes a hotel facility because it then becomes an exclusive property, then what possible difference could it make if it were located less than 10 blocks away from its current location? This site is within yards of the community's two predominant sports compounds, and in full view of Centennial Bridge traffic, while not significantly obstructing river views or public access to the riverfront because there is so much more room at this location.
The hotel proposal must not be part of Davenport's Vision Iowa application or it could cause us to lose the funding. If the city is utilizing the boat's patronage numbers to augment those of other downtown facilities, then buyer beware. Whether it can be argued that those who come downtown to gamble will also visit the Figge Art Museum and/or the River Music Experience remains to be measured.
Meanwhile, the city council committee vice-chairs and chairs meet on Tuesdays at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively (not open to the public), and this week they received the first site plans for the proposed hotel. Whether these plans will be included in the council's consideration of the RiverVision plan is yet unclear, but the public must be vigilant in this matter. The project could be tied to the Vision Iowa application, giving it additional urgency and candidacy for fast-tracking through the council process.
Proponents of such an expansion argue that by adding a hotel component to the existing riverboat-gambling operation, the increase in revenues would mean additional community reinvestment each year through the Riverboat Development Authority (RDA), which holds the license for the boat and receives a percentage of revenues for re-distribution to not-for-profits. However, the financial structure of the new hotel looks to significantly encumber a portion of the RDA's projected revenue increases in the first decade to help pay for the expansion. This is just one of the many negative consequences to this proposed riverfront development.
Purportedly, close to 80 percent of the Rhythm City Casino's patronage is generated from the local population, compared with the Isle of Capri, whose majority patronage is from outside the area. By adding a hotel to the Davenport operation, proponents claim it will generate more visitors to the area, who will utilize a broader range of products and services offered by the community, thus positively impacting the local economy as a whole. What isn't discussed is that the optimum economic model for casinos is to provide all the core services - such as rooms, food, parking, meeting facilities, etc. - in a single location so that guests have no reason to leave the property and will continue to gamble. This model is exclusive of its surroundings and is really the antithesis to any potential economic multiplier it claims to improve. In other words, by building the hotel, the casino will keep patrons to themselves rather than share them with the rest of the community.
What galls many residents is the fact that city leaders are even considering the downtown riverfront as a location for additional gaming facilities. The lack of architectural sensitivity that characterizes the current casino operation should constitute a glaring red flag to not only remind us that promises of the past were not kept, but that this is the level of aesthetics we can expect for gaming facilities. But even if Rhythm City Casino submitted a tasteful hotel design, it should not be permitted at the proposed Perry Street site, or any other site between the Arsenal Bridge and John O'Donnell Stadium. It is simply inappropriate, not to mention environmentally ridiculous considering the consistent flooding this area experiences. FEMA should be made aware of this proposal, because there are specific limitations and restrictions relative to construction in flood plains. Therefore, should city leaders approve the hotel at this site, such approval might very well jeopardize any federal assistance Davenport gets during flooding season.
The rationale given by the casino for not considering a site west of John O'Donnell, near Centennial Park, does not figure. It is claimed there would be no return on investment at that particular site. Please explain. If the optimum economic model for a casino includes a hotel facility because it then becomes an exclusive property, then what possible difference could it make if it were located less than 10 blocks away from its current location? This site is within yards of the community's two predominant sports compounds, and in full view of Centennial Bridge traffic, while not significantly obstructing river views or public access to the riverfront because there is so much more room at this location.
The hotel proposal must not be part of Davenport's Vision Iowa application or it could cause us to lose the funding. If the city is utilizing the boat's patronage numbers to augment those of other downtown facilities, then buyer beware. Whether it can be argued that those who come downtown to gamble will also visit the Figge Art Museum and/or the River Music Experience remains to be measured.
Meanwhile, the city council committee vice-chairs and chairs meet on Tuesdays at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively (not open to the public), and this week they received the first site plans for the proposed hotel. Whether these plans will be included in the council's consideration of the RiverVision plan is yet unclear, but the public must be vigilant in this matter. The project could be tied to the Vision Iowa application, giving it additional urgency and candidacy for fast-tracking through the council process.
