After years of sitting empty and in horrible disrepair, a developer is proposing to give new life to the former Dock restaurant in Davenport.
Todd Raufeisen presented a proposal to the Davenport Levee Improvement Commission Wednesday afternoon that would created a mixed-use building on the site. Mr. Raufeisen suggests a three-story building that could house restaurants, offices and convention space.
The developer says he already has two interested investors, but a big question for a lot of people has been the problem with flooding. How will this developer prevent rising waters from becoming a problem for the businesses inside?
Mr. Raufeisen explained the flood precautions being taken. "It's going to be an elevated pad. It's been done before, it's not new, we just simply lift it out of the 150 year flood plain. From an engineering standpoint, it's not different than putting foundations in, you're just elevating those foundations."
Members of the commission liked what they heard and sent the proposal to city planners to take a closer look at the details and the project's feasibility.
Last April, Davenport Mayor Bill Gluba invited members of the media to tour the former restaurant as a way to generate interest in development of the property. The building had been damaged in several floods and then closed in 2003 after a fire. During the tour, it was obvious the condition of the structure had worsened. There was a small pool of water on the floor and mold covering the walls, but the dinning room windows still offered a "million dollar view" of the Mississippi River that restaurant patrons once enjoyed.
City officials say this is the only one of four proposals for the site that they plan to move forward with.
Proposed redevelopment of The Dock restaurant site.
