A Plan for Davenport’s Older Commercial Corridors Introduction and Executive Summary Introduction and Executive Summary 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 BOOK 1: Brady/ Harrison/ Welcome Way 8 BOOK 2: Locust Street Corridor 12 BOOK 3: Rockingham Road 14 BOOK 4: Implementation 2 Introduction and Executive Summary The Davenport Older Commercial Corridors Plan provides recommendations for the improvement and in some cases revitalization of three corridors of major community interest and importance to the City of Davenport: • Brady Street/Harrison Street/Welcome Way, Davenport’s key north-south local arterial and the most direct link between Interstate 80 and Downtown Davenport. • Locust Street, the city’s only east-west arterial that con- nects its two peripheral interstate routes: Interstate 74 on the eastern edge of the city and Interstate 280 on the western edge. • Rockingham Road, one of the city’s oldest corridors with a mixture of Davenport’s largest industrial employers, neighborhood commercial services, and residential areas. Each of these corridors has a distinctive character and roles to play in the urban context. The Older Corridor Plan examines each fully, analyzing development patterns, functional issues, overall goals, and recommendations for future development. Brady Locust Harrison Rockingham Implementation Introduction and Executive Summary 3 Brady/Harrison/ Welcome Way • The continued revitalization of fect and are affected by the sur- Downtown Davenport. rounding street and neighbor- • Major growth and investment at hood environment. St. Ambrose College and Palmer • The current street and lane con- College of Chiropractic. figuration of the two streets • Neighborhood change. moves traffic very efficiently, but is a relatively hostile pedestrian Concepts for Dynamics of the Corridors and development environment. • The Brady/Harrison corridors in- Davenport’s Several basic underlying factors clude specific features that form help guide policy for these corri- a basis for economic and physical Renewed Front dors: revitalization efforts. Door • The Brady/Harrison Corridors Market Recommendations for reflect a number of different pe- the Corridor riods of development and pro- vides a unique cross-section of The general market analysis draws the city’s development history. Introduction the following conclusions and rec- • The Brady/Harrison corridors can ommendations for the Brady/Har- The north-south transportation be conceived as four major char- rison corridors: corridors created by Brady and Har- acter segments: Downtown to rison Streets have always been im- Vander Veer Park, Vander Veer • The corridors retain a relatively portant corridors and gateway to Park to Duck Creek, Duck Creek strong retail environment, an- the City of Davenport. However, to 53rd Street, and 53rd Street to chored by Northpark Mall. as Davenport and the Quad Cities Interstate 80. • The corridor’s one-way pair put it have changed, the roles of these • Despite some perceptions to the at a relative disadvantage relative corridors have also changed. These contrary, the Brady/Harrison cor- to access and visibility. changes include: ridors remains an extremely ac- • In order to stay competitive, Dav- tive business and retail environ- enport should consider policies • One-way travel on the corridors ment. that sustain the city’s retail base, nearly all the way between Down- • Public and institutional uses, in- even if this affects retailing along town and Interstate 80. cluding Palmer College, St. Am- existing older commercial corri- • The retail and land use character brose University, churches, and dors. of the corridors. public schools, are major anchors • Destination retailing should be • Regional transportation changes along the Brady/Locust corridors. located at logical points along caused by the construction of In- • The corridors’ major institutional the corridor, linked with road im- terstates 280 and 74. citizens, St. Ambrose University provements to improve access. and Palmer College, are both af- 4 Introduction and Executive Summary Overall Strategies for Brady/ of Brady and Harrison Streets to Harrison combine effective service to all Landscape Incentive Program. modes of transportation and a pub- The Brady/Harrison district should lic environment that encourages establish an innovative program to A revitalization strategy for the Bra- and sustains private development. encourage landscaping improve- dy/Harrison corridors stands on five ments on existing private develop- legs: Institutional Connections. Rein- ment. • Marketing and Image force linkages between major corri- • Physical Environment dor institutions and between those The Transportation • Strategic (Re)development uses and adjacent neighborhoods. Environment • Functional Improvement/user- friendliness Redevelopment on Selected Traffic Volumes. In 2005, peak Sites. Promote redevelopment • Security northbound flows on Brady of be- efforts on vacant land or on under- tween 26,000 and 27,000 vehicles used sites. Identify and execute a Principles for Brady/Harrison per day (vpd) occur near the 35th major redevelopment project, with Street intersection and fall sig- Revitalization a priority on redevelopment of nificantly north of Kimberly Road. the vacant cinema and motel site Southbound volumes also peak at The Brady/Harrison Brand. The south of 65th and Brady. Encour- 22,000 and 23,000 vpd near 35th Brady/Harrison corridors should age a use mix consistent with the Street. Volumes on both corridors have a positive, identifiable brand – Brady/Harrison market. a set of expectation and an image fall below 20,000 vpd south of Lo- cust Street and 10,000 vpd at 3rd that residents and customers have Urban Precincts. Three specific Street. Main Street also carries sig- of these strategic corridors. urban precincts can have a major nificant traffic. impact on the character and vital- Identifiable Subdistricts. Within ity of the Brady/Harrison corridors: Pedestrian and Trail Access. The the unified Brady/Harrison brand, Hilltop, St. Ambrose, and the Duck Brady and Harrison/Welcome Way define sub-districts that have spe- Creek Business District. cific product offerings, special corridors function almost exclusive- ly as a vehicular facility and present niches, and character. Consider the Davenport Gateway. The Brady/ a relatively hostile pedestrian en- corridors as a collection of valuable, Harrison connection from I-80 to vironment. Main Street, with rela- distinct, and complementary cen- downtown should provide a high tive sidewalk continuity and much ters. quality city gateway, combining calmer traffic, provides a better mixed use development with high non-motorized environment. Reading the City. Use Welcome environmental value. Way/Harrison as a gateway that One-Way versus Two-Way Traffic. directs people to their destina- Land Use Policies. Davenport The current one-way pairing of Bra- tions and directs visitors to major should implement land use policies dy and Harrison with four lanes cre- community features served by the that, over a period of time, upgrade ates a variety of issues including: Brady/Harrison “spine” through a the quality of development along • Traffic that moves at faster than unified, readable, and attractive di- the Brady/Harrison corridors and desirable or posted speeds. rectional graphics system. prevent actions that tend to gen- • Cars that deploy across the four erate deteriorating effects on the lanes, making it especially dif- The Public Realm and Complete neighboring urban fabric. Streets. Remake the public realm Introduction and Executive Summary 5 ficult for cross traffic to perceive gaps. • A poor environment for pedes- trians, bicyclists and local cross- traffic. • Unattractive appearance, with in- adequate space for street land- scaping. • Poor or unclear access to local businesses. Reintroducing two-way circulation is likely to decrease speeds by creat- ing greater friction in the traffic flow and provide two-directional access to adjacent businesses. However, issues raised by two-way circulation include: • Establish clearly defined cross- along the corridors, including walks at major crossing points. rain shelters at new pedestrian • Limiting street width (without • Improve east-west connections crossings, bus stop turnouts at widening) to three-lane if left- north of Kimberly Road, includ- high volume stops designed into turn movements are to be pro- ing encouraging cross easements the street section, and design tected. for sites that lack Welcome Way guidelines to ensure good transit • Widening to a 55-foot minimum access. access. channel to accommodate current • Improved wayfinding to allow traffic flows. recovery for motorists who over- Redevelopment Projects • Necessity for a protected left-turn shoot a destination or turn. cycle at signalized intersections, The Brady/Harrison/Welcome Way with impact on traffic flow. Alternative Transportation plan recommends the following • Need for significant street modifi- redevelopment initiatives, catego- cations at major intersections. • Develop a continuous bicycle rized by corridor segments. route along the north-south cor- Downtown to Vander Veer Park Street Recommendations ridor, using Main Street and Fair Avenue as bicycle boulevards • Rehabilitate 5th and Brady multi- • Retain one-way travel but reduce between Downtown and 32nd family project, demolish deterio- width from four to three lanes. Street, improved access to the rated adjacent building Use freed-up width for landscap- Duck Creek Trail, a new