Davenport City Council this week approved a 10-year St. Ambrose University plan that includes the potential for a new academic building and tearing down Ambrose-owned houses for parking.
The new plan sparked concerns from the public and members of the city council over the number of houses St. Ambrose owns in the neighborhoods surrounding its campus, and leadership committed to sitting down with the city council to discuss concerns.
St. Ambrose last amended its campus plan in 2012. The biggest changes proposed in St. Ambrose’s campus plan are:
a new academic building in place of a mostly vacant former residence hall north of McMullen Hall,
outdoor recreation facilities between McCarthy Hall and the Wellness Center,
expanded parking in the properties between Brown Street and Gaines Street, demolishing houses owned by St. Ambrose to do so. According to property records, St. Ambrose is the listed owner of all but five houses of the 21 needed to create the parking lot in the two block area bordered by Lombard, Brown, Gaines, and Locust Streets. St. Ambrose officials said if property owners don’t want to sell, they would adapt to that reality and they do not want to push out homeowners.
an improved entrance to the campus at West Rogalski Drive.
After public feedback during a neighborhood meeting, St. Ambrose leadership decided against pursuing the construction of a new performing arts center which had been planned for the current Rogalski Center parking lot.
Any projects will still go through site plan and building permit review.
Davenport approves St. Ambrose campus plan, public works wellness center
