Managed and owned by Rodney Blackwell, Financial District Properties (FDP) develops, manages and owns properties that are primarily located in the Midwest. These properties are located primarily in Moline, IL; Rock Island, IL; Davenport, IA and Waterloo, IA. FDP owns, manages, maintains and leases over $150 million of real estate.
FDP has a history of working in partnership with local governments to expand city development efforts and contribute to the municipality’s long-term economic plans. FDP utilizes unique funding sources including new market tax credits, historic tax credits, brownfield grants, HUD-insured financing, syndication financing, as well as conventional mortgages and bonds. FDP has a strong commitment to utilizing energy-efficiency and sustainability in its building designs and development projects. Some techniques it has employed include solar panels, low VOC coatings, adhesives and sealants, bamboo paneling, and the use of recycled materials. FDP has more than a decade-long relationship with Ryan Companies and has used them as the contractor on the majority of their construction projects.
In 2010, FDP closed on the $40 million KONE Centre project, a mixed-use 8 story building which utilized $30 million in NMTC allocation coupled with Midwestern Disaster Relief Bonds. At the time, it was the first and only occurrence of these funding sources being utilized jointly. The project was the first-ever LEED Platinum core and shell building in the state of Illinois.
In May 2015, FDP finished the $17 million Union Arcade project, converting a hundred-year-old commercial office building in downtown Davenport into 68 market rate apartments. The building employed historic tax credits and maintained historic building features and standards. The building was at 97% occupancy within two months after construction completion. This building was backed by HUD financing and has been nominated for a J. Timothy Anderson award, for excellence in historic rehabilitation, and a Design-Build Institute of America award in the DBIA Renovation Category.
Other development projects include a $40 million transformation of a former Deere warehouse on the TechWorks campus in Waterloo, IA into a 168 unit hotel, John Deere training center, and the Blue Iguana restaurant. The hotel is adjacent to the recently opened John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum.