(March 19, 2025) Main Street Landing is coming to the Davenport riverfront!
To read more about the plans for this 10-acre attraction, click here. Ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony on April 3, 2025, here are the answers about some frequently asked questions about the project from flooding to funding.
Q: Why can’t you fix the roads instead of building another park?
A: We're doing both.
First, it's important to understand how this project is being funded. No local taxpayer dollars are being used to build Main Street Landing. Instead, the entire program ($27.3 million) will be paid for using special use funding that can only be spent for this purpose.
Here’s the breakdown:
State of Iowa | Destination Iowa grant: $9.6 million
American Rescue Plan Act: $6 million
CPKC Community Investment: $6 million
Figge Art Museum | Private Fundraising: $2.4 million
Federal Railroad Administration safety grant: $2.7 million
Regional Development Authority: $375,000
Scott County Regional Development Authority: $187,500
Project total: $27.3 million
Second, the money paying for Main Street Landing cannot be used to fix roads. But the City has other ways of funding road projects. Just look at the investment planned in the FY2026 Capital Improvement Plan – $22,128,734 in road work – doubling last year’s total.
The City set aside $4.6 million for high-volume road repair, while $4.4 million is for neighborhood streets. An additional $12.2 million is for grant-funded projects such as the reconstruction of West Central Park.
Remember – every stretch of road is a piece of the puzzle. In the map below, the blue lines show the high-capacity roads repaired by the City in the last 10 years. The orange lines are the most recent projects in FY2025.
Q: Are you raising my taxes to build Main Street Landing?
A: First, let’s address the property tax rate. The City’s tax levy is not going up in FY2026. It remains steady at $16.61 per $1,000 in valuation.
Second, no local taxpayer dollars will be spent to build Main Street Landing. Instead, as described above, the entire program ($27.3 million) will be paid for using special use funding designated for this kind of community improvement.
Q: Who even wanted this park to be built?
A: Main Street Landing is the result of decades of planning, and public outreach was a significant part of that process.
Here are some of the most recent efforts:
Online surveys asked for opinions on specific ways to spend federal dollars coming from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The City received more than $40 million to be allocated by the end of 2024. Main Street Landing accounts for $6 million (15%) of the City’s ARPA funds. (Note: Road maintenance and repairs were not allowable expenses for ARPA funds.)
The City also did three phases of outreach specifically focusing on Main Street Landing, including questions about features, designs, colors, and other elements.
In August 2022, November 2022, and August 2023, the City solicited public feedback at events including the Freight House Farmers Market, River Bandits games, Alternating Currents, and in-school activities. Three rounds of public surveys also generated 1,300 responses.
All of the input received contributed to the Main Street Landing plan. Overall, people said they wanted a public riverfront that is accessible to all. They also wanted to see this area become a Midwest destination that would complement the downtown, with places to play, relax, and enjoy the beauty of the Mississippi River.
Q: Won’t Main Street Landing just flood every spring?
A: Flood mapping played a major role in planning for the park.
The maps below show the four-season space (gray), restroom and pavilion (yellow), and play areas (green) elevated high enough to avoid being impacted by a 21-foot river level. While some grassy space will be impacted, and access will be cut off, these areas are protected from being underwater for extended periods of time.
It isn’t until the river hits 22 feet that these features areas begin to be impacted. However, they are built with materials made to withstand flood conditions and can be easily cleaned and recovered. Since January 2020, the city has experienced only four days (out of 1903) over river stage 21.
Q: The train comes right through the park. It’s unsafe and too loud.
A: The $27.3 million cost of building Main Street Landing includes the installation of railroad quiet zones. These are areas where train crews are not required to sound their horn at crossings.
Each of the 12 crossings from Mound Street to Marquette will be upgraded with safety improvements, including proper signals, signage, and pavement markings to qualify as quiet zones.
A pedestrian bridge over the tracks is also a high-profile feature of the park. Picking up near Dillon Fountain near Main Street, the bridge takes people 25 feet up and over tracks, through the park and into the natural hillside area on the east side.
