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BHC housing developer looking at EM for site
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Many steps will be required to change the location of proposed housing for Black Hawk College's Quad-Cities campus. Black Hawk is looking at a 114-bed three-story student apartment complex aimed at student athletes, international students and out-of-district commuter students. The original location was west of Building 3, below the parking lot south of 34th Avenue and north of the baseball diamond and college track. Because the site is in Moline, Bluffstone LLC, the private company working on the project with Black Hawk, asked the city for tax rebates to help it get financing for the project. Tuesday, the city council approved rebates, but not to the level Bluffstone says it needs. So the company is looking for an alternative site on campus that is within East Moline's borders. Black Hawk president Thomas Baynum said a proposed alternative site is by the school's Parking Lot 4."We are looking at how we could accommodate that (Bluffstone's) request," he said. Black Hawk staffers are putting together a proposal for the college board to review, Mr. Baynum said. Any move would have to be approved by the board, and the land at the new location transferred by Black Hawk to the Quad-Cities campus foundation.State law prohibits a community college from owning or operating student housing. The contract would be between the foundation and Bluffstone. Lot 4 is north of the main campus, and separated from it by 34th Avenue, in East Moline city limits. It's also near a ravine that runs through the campus, with belts of woodland around it, and several neighborhoods bordering the woodlands. The Lot 4 location was among several viewed as possible sites before the area near Building 3 was chosen. Bluffstone has said it must have the rebate for the project to move forward, otherwise the housing would not be cost-effective to students, Mr. Baynum said, adding that there's no alternative way to compensate for the tax rebate if it's not offered. East Moline Mayor John Thodos said he would welcome the complex."I'm supportive. I see this as a benefit to our community college. I see this a a benefit to our municipality." Mayor Thodos said the property, as part of the college, is not taxable by the city while the land is undeveloped. The city only gets revenue from the site if it's developed, and it could be worth offering tax rebates in exchange for long-term tax revenue from the complex, he said. The rebate would not involve a tax-increment financing district, because the site does not fit any TIF criteria, such as being a brownfield, a site in decay or that is obsolete, Mayor Thodos said. But there are several things Bluffstone will have to go through with the city and related taxing bodies, he said. The project would have to be approved by the planning and zoning commission and city, and the tax rebate will need council approval. Other taxing bodies -- the local school districts, for instance -- also would have to be on board with the rebate. 
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Today is Thursday, May 23, the 143rd day of 2013. There are 222 days left in the year.
1863 — 150 years ago: Messrs. J. and M. Rosenfield have moved their leather and hidestore to the building formerly occupied by Temple Bufords's store. They buy and sellhides, pelts, furs, wool, beeswax, lard, tallow, etc.
1888 -- 125 years ago: The Rock Island Lumber Company has recovered 5,000 of the8,000 logs that were carried away by the Mississippi River flood last week.
1913 -- 100 years ago: John J. Ullemeyer has been awarded the contract to furnish RockIsland fire and police department members with uniforms, at the city's expense.
1938 -- 75 years ago: Work on Aledo's new $38,000 swimming pool was started thismorning at South Park when ground for the pool was broken by Mayor John W. Murphy.
1963 -- 50 years ago: Students and teacher at Moline High School called today "MissLeona Day" day at the school in honor of the government teacher who retires at theend of the school term. Although she's been teaching for 43 years at the school, Miss Dayfound a new way of arriving at the school this morning. At 7:30 a.m., a police squad carpulled up in front of Miss Day's home and escorted her to school. A caravan of students' cars joined the procession along the way.
1988 -- 25 years ago: Barbecue cooking and riverfront antics are planned for Discover the
River Day Saturday in Leach Park, Bettendorf. A 5K run, wind surfing, a canoe race, hogcalling and more will round out the day under the Interstate 74 bridge.
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