“Without a strong and inclusive central heart, a city tends to become a collection of interests isolated from one another. It falters at producing something greater, socially, culturally and economically, than the sum of its separated parts.” - Jane Jacobs.
A vibrant downtown is the heartbeat of a city where people come to visit, shop, live, and play. Downtown Bettendorf is in the middle of a major transition - a transition highlighted by the new I-74 Bridge that will lead to a more vibrant downtown if we work together and build a strong central heart that attracts new investment and energy. It’s time for downtown Bettendorf to strengthen our heartbeat, and we’re excited to introduce a new organization committed to seizing on this unique opportunity to accelerate downtown’s development.
The Downtown Bettendorf Organization (DBO) has been formed to provide one voice for downtown Bettendorf with support from the City of Bettendorf, Bettendorf Development Corporation, and the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce. A steering committee of downtown property owners and business owners has been formed to help further revitalize downtown Bettendorf. If you own property and/or own a business downtown, the Downtown Bettendorf Organization works for you.
What makes a downtown thrive? Restaurants, shops, offices, art, walkability, beautification, livability, unique events, and nightlife are all important pieces of the puzzle. The DBO wants to know what you think is needed in downtown Bettendorf, and will use the information from this survey to help guide the revitalization of Downtown Bettendorf.
We’re excited to introduce Ryan Jantzi as the DBO’s full-time Director; he will serve as a key point of contact and representative for all-things downtown Bettendorf. It will be Ryan’s job to work with business owners, stakeholders, and property owners to define and move forward the vision for how downtown Bettendorf begins its next evolution of development.
The DBO is your organization. This is your opportunity to add value to our downtown and help seek consensus and prioritize downtown Bettendorf’s development goals. So what does the future of Downtown Bettendorf look like? What type of amenities, businesses, and events do you want to see in our Downtown? Please provide the DBO with some direction on what and how our downtown should look and function by completing this short survey. The DBO is ready to get to work creating a downtown that all Quad Citizens can be proud of, we look forward to your response.
