Neighbors Press St. Ambrose, Council for Clarity on Property Holdings Beyond Campus Plan

Davenport aldermen and neighborhood residents pressed St. Ambrose University and city staff Sept. 17 for clearer answers about properties the university owns beyond the boundary covered in a proposed campus land-use amendment. Why it matters: The campus land-use amendment as presented covered the university’s current footprint — bounded by Harrison, West Locust, Brown and Lombard — and the university said it had no current plans to expand beyond that area. Neighbors, however, expressed concern that St. Ambrose has acquired properties outside the plan in prior years, sometimes leading to demolition and loss of older housing stock. Christopher Waugh, representing Saint Ambrose University, told the council the yellow-shaded properties shown on the map were owned by the university but that the university did not plan geographic expansion beyond the mapped footprint and would follow city processes for any future acquisitions. Several residents and aldermen said the university’s broader property holdings — council members reported counting dozens of parcels when viewing the map — are a neighborhood concern. Alderman McGinnis, Alderman Kelly and Alderwoman Lynch described calls from neighbors worried about loss of affordable starter homes and properties that appear run-down on streets adjacent to campus. Alderwoman Lynch said she counted more than 100 properties held by deed holders connected to the university in public records research and urged transparency. Council members requested St. Ambrose supply a list of the properties it owns in and around the study area, explain the university’s plans for properties not included in its 10‑year plan and describe how it maintains off-campus holdings. Mayor Madsen and other aldermen said the university is a long-standing partner, but they asked for commitments that properties not in the 10‑year plan would not be demolished without neighborhood notice and consideration of affordable housing impacts. Saint Ambrose representatives said their current 10‑year plan does not include those off‑boundary properties and that the university had no present intentions to acquire additional parcels; they said they would provide additional information to the council in writing. The council did not vote on the land-use amendment at the Sept. 17 meeting; council members placed the item on next week’s consent agenda with a request for further details from the university.