Bettendorf apartment project seen as downtown 'domino' | Local

BETTENDORF -- A new downtown residential project got its official start Wednesday with the swing of hammers and the clink of quarters -- a lot of quarters. 

The Bridges, planned at 221 15th St., will offer 132 market-rate apartments from about 400 square feet to about 1200 square feet, said developer Frank Levy, president of Newbury Living. The five-story building will be U-shaped; most of its tenants will have a view of the Mississippi River.

"I think this building will be a signature building for your downtown," Mr. Levy said. "I hope you like it."

The Bridges is being built near the new Interstate 74 bridge on the site of the former Twin Bridges Motor Inn. On Wednesday, Mr. Levy was joined by Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher and other stakeholders celebrating the site's transition by hitting the motor inn with gold-painted sledge hammers. 

Mayor Gallagher said The Bridges is the first of a number of residential projects Bettendorf wants downtown as part of a revitalization effort. The end goal, he said, is a mix of residential and business with the riverfront serving as space for recreation and entertainment.

"This is a domino," he said. "This is the first one."

Demolition was already underway at the Twin Bridges when Wednesday's ceremony occurred. The Twin Bridges Motor Inn shut its doors in July, Bettendorf Police Capt. Keith Kimball said.

The property was a frequent stop for police and fire, he and Bettendorf Police Chief Phil Redington said, with several hundred calls to the site the year before it closed.

On Wednesday, Mr. Levy also lifted a burlap sack containing quarters -- $1,000 worth. The money, he said, was a gesture from one of the investors to represent the heavy lifting being done to accomplish the project. 

The apartment complex will include a swimming pool and gym, a deck on the roof and laundry appliances in each unit. There will be four floors of living space on top one floor of parking. There also will be room to add a restaurant in the future, Mr. Levy said.

Work will be done in two phases, Mr. Levy said. The first is expected to be done by the summer of 2018, with the second completed by the end of 2018

Based in Des Moines, Newbury Living was the developer behind 501 Brady, a 24-unit lofts complex at 5th and Brady streets in Davenport.