Revitalizing the Gateway to Bettendorf

Revitalizing the Gateway to Bettendorf

Anyone traveling on the main thoroughfare through the Quad Cities via I-74 has undoubtedly noticed a significant change in the landscape; the absence of the once-iconic Jumer’s Castle Lodge. CDCQC, LLC, a development entity of Russell, whose real name is “Castle Demolition Company Quad Cities”, became the catalyst for change back in December 2016 when it purchased the property by tax sale.

It was clear from the beginning that revitalizing this key piece of property, located in the heart of Bettendorf, would be a necessity – but what that revitalization looked like needed to be determined. One certainty was that the existing structure could not remain given its current dilapidated condition, which meant the landmark castle would need to come down. Following demolition, there was now a clean slate with which to go to the market and identify the best use of the prime real estate.

While no development is ever easy, this one turned out to require a bit more balancing than originally anticipated. Given the highly visible site location, there was a lot of attention from members of local government and potential users. Ultimately through a coordinated and collaborative effort, Russell’s team was able to get all stakeholders set on a common vision and goal – a quality development that will add value, jobs and tax dollars to the City of Bettendorf and the Quad Cities.

Numerous options were researched and vetted with the idea the market would dictate what would ultimately be developed on the site. However, due to the site location at the epicenter of the Quad Cities on the I-74 corridor, it made logical sense that a hotel franchise would be the best fit for the area.  With this in mind, Russell turned to long-time client Frontier Hospitality Group. Previous discussions with Frontier had gleamed that they were interested in bringing a new hotel franchise to the Quad Cities – Home2 Suites – and the former Lodge site was an obvious choice for this new all-suite hotel brand.

Through extensive planning and discussions, Russell and Frontier Hospitality Group have officially brought the first phase of the former Lodge site development to fruition with the construction of the new 107-room Home2 Suites. As the operator of the hotel, Frontier Hospitality Group has as strong reputation with its outstanding products already in the marketplace. Russell and Frontier have worked together in various roles over the years and look forward to partnering on yet another prominent project for our area. Construction on the new hotel broke ground in July 2018 and is set to open in Summer 2019.