Snarky has already covered this, and so as the Colonel, but Davenport is getting a $19.3 million Cingular customer service center.
Here's the QCTimes story.
Here's Snarky's thread.
Here's the Colonels usual inside info.
Unfortunately, judging by the Colonel's info it doesn't sound like it will be downtown. This could have been that 2nd new big office building that downtown really needs, but I'm not going to complain (not much at least) about 500 new jobs. As someone on the QCTimes.comments said, if you do the math, dividing their proposed $11,000,000 annual payroll by the 500 jobs, you get $22,000 a year average pay. So this is no Purina, but its no APAC either.
If they're going to go sprawl-style, I hope they at least build an attractive building.
17 comments:
Yeah, well, the Colonel has been wrong before about things that are a "done deal". If you want it downtown (and it makes sense with all the investments we've made and the boat probably leaving) call your alderman. Don't forget the at-large ones. The article says the company is looking for the city to "help". That gives us leverage.
I've heard that they are asking for 75% of infrastructure to be paid for by TIF out on 53rd Street farmland. If the City doesn't have to pay out the obligation to the IOC, then maybe they can afford to extend our TIF obligation like that. I guess paying for new infrastructure doesn't seem like much bang for our buck. On the other hand, if they refitted an existing building or built new downtown it would make more sense from a taxpayer perspective.
There are a number of other buildings that come to mind that are in the 74,000 square foot range. Isn't the K's Merchandise building almost exactly that size? I think it's 78,000 square feet (I can't remember what the sign says). I realize it may not be the pristine location they want, but I'd just rather see old buildings re-used instead of building new ones.
The fact that this was done without (or maybe even in spite of) QCDG illustrates how badly that organization needs to change.
Yeah, they should be in constant contact with companies like this. The big telecom companies, big car companies, financial service companies, insurance companies, etc.
They should be contacting these folks on practically a monthly basis asking how they could best "put them in a building" in the Quad Cities.
QCI: Put you money where you mouth is and start shaping this thing in the downtown. There is no need bend over just yet. You believe everything the government tells you - stop. Fight this brother.
Make it hapopen in the downtown or in an existing location .. Sears, K's, the old theatre, to old Brady Motel - all abandoned. This thing is getting tons of tax breaks and for what? $9/hour jobs? Is that good enough for a new construction building out north? They don't deserve tax breaks to make Shalk richer and themselves richer. They deserve tax breaks for taking a blighted building to good use. But, we live in Davenport and if Mel is behind it then it happens on the dime of the tax payers.
Get off your butt QCI and do something about your concerns. You are the first to criticize the neighborhoods SOLO for sticking up for themselves and fighting bad projects - show us what you got here. Fight boy fight! Or don't ya have what it takes like the neighbors solo? Or are you scared?
Rolling over playing dead is what got us into this boat to begin with.
I don't think this is a bad project.
But you are concerned about its location. No balls QCI? Take a stand with your friends at the city.
Oh - by the way - what do you like about the project other then being told it creates jobs?
Do you know how many tax breaks this wealthy company is getting?
Do you think that those tax breaks are worth it?
Do you believe we as a city should sacrifice tax revenues for all big business that comes our way? Or it there a limit?
People around here really need to realize that there are more than 2 positions (love or hate)to have. If I don't think something is perfect (what is?) then apparently I'm against it. If I like something or someone, then apparently I'm in love with it. Too bad its almost never that simple. I like this project. Does that mean I don't think it could be better? Of course not. It could be 600 jobs, or 1000, or it could be a 20 story office building downtown. If we hold out for only perfect projects, we'll be waiting a long time.
As far as the incentives, I've said this before: Idealistically, I don't think big businesses should get our tax money. If we could eliminate that across the board it would be great.
But this is the real world. Cities are lined up to offer tax rebates, tax credits, incentives, grants, etc to lure companies to their community. Are we supposed to sit back and refuse, while other metro areas grow and expand with new jobs? People around here CONSTANTLY say we need new jobs here, but how are we supposed to get them here?
I couldn't believe 6:48's comment. QCI participates in local government more than anyone I know, despite having no agenda other than wanting to see our city grow. Then he writes about what he sees on this blog as a free service to us all.
Frink's blog pointed out that the day that Cingular will open its doors, it will be one of the top 20 largest employers in the Quad Cities. It's a great idea to try to encourage this kind of development to occur downtown, but you have to take what you can get. As QCI said, there is a tons of competition for these jobs. More jobs = more people = more business for everyone.
Please, you two bloggers seems to blow the same hot air as many city leaders. You had time to read nd link the QCT story, and say this is nice.
You put all kinds of effort into the location of the casino, indoor water parks, and your praise of living downtown. I cannot understand that you just rollover and accept this obvious done deal with the city with no jobs for downtown.
Pioneer 98 please stop with the nobility of bloggers crap.
They're talking about opening this building in July.
Obviously they are in a hurry to get this up and running, so building some 4-6 story building downtown isn't going to meet their timetable. I feel the same way Alderman Meyer seems to on this. It should have been downtown, but I'm not about to refuse 500 jobs based solely on the fact that its not what I feel is the optimal location. I don't know if that really is his opinion, but its how I took the info from the QCTimes article.
I do wish they could reuse an existing building, and maybe there's still time for that to happen. I suspect, however, that they have a cookie cutter design for their call centers. A 6 month construction time for a nearly $20M building is pretty ambitious otherwise.
We should take what we can get attitute, got us all those fantasitc low income housing projects that are adding so much to our community.
Sears??? K's???? Come on. This is a "high profile" named business, not Joe's call center. It is supposed to look classy, clean,& modern. Not, surrounded by crime, gritt, or in a old strip mall. You can't use these locations. Stop thinking like those people who wanted the Figge to be built like a barn because it would have been more affordable. High profile things need to be just that...high profile.
You make the Cingulars of the business world feel like royalty when they come here, other companies will take notice.
Don't you think that spending $10M could make the K's building look just as fancy as the renderings being shown of the new building?
Look at the former trucking company out on Brady Street. It looks great as an office building, and I bet it was cheaper than building new.
The Sears Building, however... I can see why they'd hesitate on that side of downtown.
I must have missed the part where the QC Times story says the QCDG was not involved in this. Is that a guess, Pioneer 98? Or do you know this is the case? Where would 500 cars park in Downtown Davenport? Would this be free parking? To everyone encouraging the use of existing buildings...does anyone know what kind of a price tags have been placed on these buidlings? My guess is a call center of this magnitude would need extensive fiberoptic and any existing buildings would need a very expensive internal retrofit to meet the tech needs of a call center, if a retrofit is possible.
There's a decent sized chunk of land near 2nd and Ripley, which also happens to be the intersection one of the new parking garages is at. Or they could build their own parking garage. Just keep in mind that if they'd built downtown they'd probably have gotten even more incentives.
Apparently that wasn't enough for them though, combined with their apparent need to get this building up and running in a hurry.
To QCI and all the other naysaysers on this thread saying a downtown location couldn't be done. BOy, you could get jobs in Cingular's Corporate Development Department with all the reasons they CAN"T build downtown. The obstacles is what TIF is FOR. TIF is to help overcome obstacles.
Can anyone answer me this -- what is the 3.?? million in proposed TIF buying? Think hard. If all you come up with is jobs, then I submit that this use of TIF is a community bribe to Cingular for locating anywhere in Davenport. My taxes are not meant to be used as bribes.
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