In Iowa, the city of Davenport is set to put out a request for proposals on how best to utilize the former riverside site of the Rhythm City Casino, which relocated to a land-based location some seven miles away in June.

According to a report from the Quad-City Times newspaper, the city of some 99,600 people plans to set an initial deadline of November 1 for proposals on how to redevelop the barge and landing facilities of the former casino while the immediate surrounding area is to be transformed into a public park as part of the RiverVision plan in lieu of any better suggestions.

“We’re looking for a “wow” factor to be part of that RiverVision plan,” Davenport mayor Frank Klipsch told the newspaper. “If that comes about, we’ll evaluate that with the public, levee commission and the council will all look at that if we get a proposal we think falls in that category.”

At a recent city council meeting, local leaders revealed that the former casino’s barge and landing facilities are due to be removed by owner RC Casino by March but it wants to keep its options open should a better proposal come forward. They stated that any new plan would only be considered if it involved transforming the space into a commercial site that allowed for public access and docking.

Jason Gordon, Alderman-At-Large for Davenport, told the Quad-City Times that the city would require the developer to remove the barge and landing facilities should any new scheme become under-occupied or underutilized while no flood protections or financial support of any kind are to be provided.

“It doesn’t guarantee that something is going happen,” Kerri Tompkins, Alderwoman for Davenport’s Eighth Ward, told the newspaper. “This is just we’re asking for ideas so if we don’t get something, then we continue as is and it is expected to be removed in March.”