Downtown business owners weigh in on design guidelines

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By Tory Brecht | Saturday, May 12, 2007 11:28 PM CDT | () comments

(Updated: 6:21 p.m.) Cautious but intrigued seems to be the most common reaction by downtown Davenport business owners to a proposed overlay district that would create stricter design guidelines in the central city.

“Most businesses that do move into a downtown area want to see it brought up to a certain level,” said Tim Smith, owner of LP Coffee Shop and Studio at 2nd and Iowa streets, which opened in 2005. “Set some positive guidelines when a business owner comes in, but don’t hinder their creativity. If they’re working with us, then I’d see it as a positive. It just can’t be too restrictive.”

Those sentiments were echoed by fellow downtown newcomer Don Davison, who opened his restaurant and pub Shenanigans in 2005.

He already battled the city over sign placement and worries that the overlay district could create more hoops to jump through. Still, he concedes a need for sprucing up the downtown business district.

“I understand what they’re trying to do, rehab the downtown and make it look nice,” he said. “But I’ve got mixed feelings on it. I think there are pluses and minuses to it.”

So did the Davenport City Council, which narrowly struck down a first reading of the design overlay ordinance on a 5-4 vote May 2. However, Alderman Jamie Howard, At-Large, who supports the measure, purposely voted no so that the issue could be brought forward again, presumably when her fellow at-large Alderman Brian Dumas returns. He was absent from the vote because of a death in the family.

Ordinance supporters point to what appears to be an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the ordinance by downtown business owners and residents. Of the 226 property owners notified about the ordinance, only two opposed it.

In addition to setting standards, the measure would create a nine-member committee tasked with evaluating and approving or denying facade changes, signs, new buildings and other developments.

Tara Barney, president and CEO of DavenportOne — which has championed the ordinance as a tool in making downtown more pedestrian friendly and attracting quality development — said the intent is to give all types of businesses “flexible attention.”

The organization’s Downtown Partnership represents hundreds of businesses and property owners downtown, from multimillion-dollar corporations to mom-and-pop stores, Barney said. The idea would be to assist them all in meeting design standards that make sense and are affordable.

“We need to be very attentive to small businesses’ needs above all,” she said. “Obviously, a building like the Figge requires a different level of scrutiny as a coffee shop.”

The design committee will not simply be a “thumbs up/thumbs down” arbiter, she said. Rather, the intent is to work for realistic and attractive solutions to design issues.

“Changing guidelines into standards is to protect the investments made so far,” she said. “We want to make sure we encourage investment in every way possible. We want a nimble process, but we also want a thoughtful process.”

Mike Lonergan, who bought Mac’s Tavern on 2nd Street three years ago, said his level of support depends on who ends up on the design committee.

“It depends on who the peers are,” he said. “In theory, I like the idea. It will be as good as those people who put effort into it.”

Pat Rogers, a co-owner of Glass Heritage on 2nd Street, said she’s in favor of anything that can make downtown more attractive to pedestrian traffic.

Although she leases her building, she still worries about how stringent the design guidelines might be.

“In some cases, there are situations where it may be nice to have some control,” she said. “On the other hand, it could be a hardship for some owners. I can see where there could be an advantage, but I can also see where it could be a real problem for somebody.”

Tory Brecht can be contacted at (563) 383-2329 or tbrecht@qctimes.com.