MOLINE, Ill. — Nestled in downtown Moline is the Atlas Collective. The new bookstore and coffee shop features products from local creators, including 10-year-old Maisie Eyre and her friend, Fiona Wilson.
"I make stickers, pins, and shrinkie-dinks and a bunch of other stuff," Maisie said. "We basically have doodle sessions where we draw stuff together."
The bookstore's owner, Kara Taghon, says this idea of community is what inspired her to open the business in January.
"The area we're in, we've had incredible, incredible community engagement, and we're the luckiest people on Earth," Taghon said.
Just a block away from Atlas, another effort is underway to grow the downtown Moline community.
The proposed Redevelopment Plan and Economic Incentive Agreement unanimously passed during Tuesday's city council meeting, clearing the first hurdle toward approving the $6.8 million project. The building was built back in 1956 and served as a JCPenney department store until 1972 when the business moved to South Park Mall. The 35,000-square-foot two-story building was owned by RiverStone Group before being donated to Renew Moline in late 2022.
"The downtown needs to come back to life, and the way you bring more life into it, is you bring people in," City Administrator Bob Vitas said. "Start to build a population base, that might then justify a grocery store, might justify a pharmacy, things the downtown are missing."
Last year, Renew Moline decided to turn the building into something more and chose Bush Construction to assist. The project will add a third floor to the building, along with constructing a commercial space on the first floor. 32 studio, one- and two-bedroom units will also be built.
“This building has served two uses over its history, and we are pleased to pass this building to Bush Construction to begin the third," Renew Moline Board Chairman Greg Derrick said in a press release. “Renew has worked to secure a quality development partner to deliver a model of urban living to the community. We are looking forward to bringing new residents downtown.”
Under the agreement, the City will provide a loan to close a funding gap for the project that will be repaid through through a newly created tax increment financing district. The project will also add bike racks on Fifth Avenue and landscaping improvements in the area.
“This project supports all three of the City’s Strategic Plan Pillars of creating quality places, stimulating private investment and building infrastructure smartly,” Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati said in a press release. “We are happy for the partnership with Renew Moline and Bush Construction and look forward to seeing the project completed.”
Final project approval will be decided at the city council's meeting on May 7.
"I'm down for anything that brings foot traffic down here to Moline because, after COVID, it was slow going," Taghon said. "I worked at the bank down the street for a long time and it was a ghost town."
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