River District Envisions Development in Downtown Rockford

Rockford, Illinois - Could downtown Rockford one day be a buzzing center of activity? If some community members have their way, the answer is a resounding "yes." River District Association President Steve Moore believes Rockford must capitalize on its biggest resource: the river. "We have what other people would die for," Moore says."We have a river which runs through the downtown. We have beautiful historic buildings. We have beautiful residential options that are unique. We have unique shops and restaurants, cultural and other entertainment venues that can`t be found outside the downtown." An outside consultant studied several downtown areas, and recommended the River District Association focus on revitalizing Davis Park and the former Ingersoll site across the river. "Because we think that together those two sites can offer open space opportunity," explains David Reynolds, project manager director of Shaw Environmental. "They can offer perhaps some extreme sports opportunity. Perhaps bringing residential to the two former buildings there, just bringing more people into that area." Mayor Larry Morrissey says his administration is working on getting a riverwalk built, which he touted during his campaign. He also believes Rockford could be a major hub for transportation and communication. "We want to be connected to Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, this entire metro area by broadband and passenger rail service," Morrisey says. "It gives us great flexibility. It gives us the ability to be innovative and a hot spot not just in this country, but in the entire world." The River District Association received a $45,000 Small Business Association grant, which it plans on using to promote downtown development.