ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (KWQC) - As the City of Rock Island continues work to try and attract new businesses to the area, city staff learned one of its biggest issues is a perception problem.
City staff held a study session on Dec. 12 with realtors from four local commercial real estate companies to discuss what the city does well, and what it should work on to attract those businesses. The results from the meeting were shared to the public on Monday.
The results found that the market, and needs for office space and commercial real estate space, is changing. It was also found that the situation in Rock Island is sometimes thought to be worse than it actually is, but the struggles in the city are similar to other cities in the Quad Cities area.
“There may be projects moving in other cities, but they still have the same concerns that Rock Island has as far as vacancy rates and whether our vacant spaces are ready to go. But all of the cities in the Quad Cities have the same kinds of concerns and issues,” Rock Island Economic Development Manager, Tarah Sipes said.
Each realtor at the study session brought their own experiences to the table, helping the city get an idea of what needs to be worked on, including the city’s perception from the outside.
“Perceptions of the City of Rock Island may or may not be true. Some people think there isn't opportunity here, but there is,” Sipes said, “We always are interested in figuring out what we can do better. To make Rock Island a better place to live. A better place to do business.”
One of the properties in discussion was the Watchtower Plaza site. The realtors were in agreement that development of this site will be difficult because of changing commercial space demands.
In 2012 Rock Island city leaders announced they had been in negotiations with Walmart to open a store at this property. The deal later fell through and the property still remains empty.
