The Blackhawk Hotel & Waterpark?

I've been meaning to do a post on this, especially after the Times article came out a week or two ago. I delayed, and now of course Bridge to Somewhere has beat me to it! Check out the post over there.

Also, here's the QCTimes article where they mention a possible indoor waterpark.

If the indoor water park and hotel renovation idea was actually to happen, that would be some of the best news for downtown in decades. Not only would that kind of attraction go a long way towards making Davenport a regional weekend trip destination, but it would even get LOCAL people downtown who may not have been there in years. As far as out of town visitors, I highly doubt they'd be able to spend their entire trip in a smallish indoor waterpark, so they'd end up walking around downtown and using our other recently created amenities.

I see many more up-sides than downsides for this project. First of all, the area next to the Blackhawk is perfect for a new building, as its got taller buildings on both sides and won't block anyone's views that aren't already blocked by the casino hotel. It would also do a little bit in filling in the gap between the populated downtown and the soon-to-be populated warehouse loft district. Some people are wondering if that kind of family-oriented hotel will scare away business or convention travelers that are needed to make the RiverCenter a success. I fully agree with Pioneer98 over at Bridge to Somewhere that if Dubuque's convention center is ONLY connected to an indoor waterpark hotel, I'd think ours could manage with a connection to one of those and the Radisson. Maybe the hotel could designate a couple floors just for families, or just for convention/business travelers, if they worried about negative interaction.

I don't know who the "local investors" are that are considering this, but I hope they go full speed ahead on this project.