Palmer College seeks campus master‑plan amendments, rezoning and street vacations in Davenport; nearby business objects

Palmer College on Tuesday outlined a package of changes to its Davenport campus plan that would expand the Institutional Campus (IC) boundary, rezone six adjacent parcels it recently acquired and vacate portions of Palmer Drive and East 10th Street to build a new entry sequence and a 346‑space parking facility.

Dennis Marchiori, chancellor and CEO of Palmer College, told the Davenport City Plan and Zoning Commission the project is meant to improve wayfinding, pedestrian safety and the campus visitor experience. "We've been there nearly 130 years now at this point," Marchiori said, arguing updated signage, a relocated welcome center and improved pedestrian crossings would help recruit and retain students.

City planning staff explained the technical steps the college must take under the IC district rules. Staff said the rezoning request (REZ26‑01) would convert six properties now zoned RMF or R‑4C to IC and that properties currently used for student housing would keep their existing unit counts (for example, 208 East 11th Street would remain at six units; 1111 Perry Street would remain at 11 units; 739 Perry Street, a national historic landmark, would remain at 13 units). Staff also summarized two right‑of‑way petitions: ROW26‑01 would vacate a segment of Palmer Drive (40 ft by 317 ft) to create a roundabout entrance and pedestrian corridor with access and utility easements; ROW26‑02 would vacate East 10th Street and adjacent alleys (about 0.35 acres) to make way for a parking facility with roughly 346 stalls.

The petitions prompted one formal objection during public comment. Nicholas Huffman, an attorney for Jana Saad Investments LLC, which owns a furniture store at 1129 Brady Street, said his client relies on Palmer Drive and the adjacent alley for regular deliveries in 26‑foot trucks and occasional larger tractor‑trailers that cannot fit into the alley. "If the area in question were vacated, that would make it private property," Huffman said, warning that removal of public access without a guaranteed easement could force large trucks to back into Brady Street and create safety hazards and blocked lanes.

Palmer's civil engineer, Alex Christ, responded that the college provided a turning‑movement exhibit showing a 30‑foot design vehicle can navigate the proposed roundabout and alley, and that the design calls for widening the existing 20‑foot alley to about 26 feet, adding a 6–7‑foot sidewalk and granting access and utility easements mirroring a recent solution on 11th Street. "There would be no restriction on access to those properties that currently have access to that alleyway," Christ said, and he described pavement upgrades to meet city standards to support truck traffic.

Staff noted they received one written comment in opposition to ROW26‑01 and that Palmer held neighborhood outreach (a Dec. 9 meeting and a Jan. 27 neighborhood meeting attended by about 10 people). Planning staff recommended holding the public hearing tonight and offering a formal staff recommendation at the commission's Feb. 17 meeting.

Chair Bob Ingram encouraged Huffman and his client to meet with city staff and Palmer representatives to review the newly submitted diagrams and potential easement language before the Feb. 17 meeting. Commissioners clarified that removable bollards proposed for the pedestrian corridor (as used on 11th Street) can be removed for large events, a point staff and Palmer representatives said they had planned for.

No zoning decisions or vacating approvals were made at the meeting; the commission closed the public hearing and moved the items to forthcoming staff recommendations and separate votes. The commission then completed routine business and adjourned.