It was destination Quad Cities for the annual Illinois State Section Spring Conference, held June 1st and 2nd in Moline. The conference attracted 76 registrants from throughout Illinois and Iowa, including several from the Chicago area. Hosts Chris Mathias, AICP, and Shawn Christ, AICP put together another mobile-intense program made popular by prior conferences. Thursday sessions were held at the iWireless Center and the Thursday-Friday mobile sessions were held throughout Moline and also included Iowa stops in Bettendorf and Davenport.
The conference kicked off with a Wednesday evening dinner gathering at Barrel House on Moline’s 5th Avenue. Thursday morning’s law session offered an in-depth follow-up on last year’s stormwater utility fee vs. tax discussion, and also included an update on land use and zoning case law plus an energetic take on sign ordinance constitutionality. The Iowa vs. Illinois session included a star-studded panel comparing how the two states differ on annexation, zoning, extraterritorial planning, TIF legislation, regional economic development, and transportation. Afternoon attendees learned about efforts to plan for passenger rail and enjoyed a hard-hat walking tour of The Q multimodal station downtown Moline. Thursday’s final mobile session was a signature boat tour on the Channel Cat, a passenger ferry service on the Mississippi River in the heart of the Quad Cities. The session included talks at Moline’s WIU/Riverbend Commons landing, Bettendorf’s Isle Casino landing, and Davenport’s East Village landing. Thursday’s events concluded with an evening reception with hors d’oeuvres and beverages at The River House.
Friday continued with mobile sessions all day and the weather was fantastic! Attendees boarded a bus early to learn about adaptive reuse and redevelopment of five former public school and hospital sites, and also efforts to reinvigorate Moline’s cultural Floreciente Neighborhood. Afternoon walking sessions included a 25-year overview of the original Moline Centre Plan and a spirited historic tour and overview of Moline’s downtown heritage walk. Attendees who stayed for the optional afternoon tours embarked on a canoe/kayak tour of Sylvan Slough and a bicycle tour of the Moline/Rock Island riverfront.
The 2017 APA-ISS Spring Conference received donations from several sponsors including MSA Professional Services, Gorman & Company, Russell, Teska, KLOA, Moline Centre Main Street, Duncan Associates, and SCB.
"On behalf of the ISS, thanks to our hosts, the City of Moline, all of our sponsors, the speakers, and all of those who attended. What a great event!", Stephanie Brown, AICP, APA-ISS Director.
Please help us extend our gratitude and recognition for their generous support.
A play-by-play account of the conference can be found on our Twitter account at: https://twitter.com/i/moments/870352273511247872
Log your CM credits here: https://planning.org/events/eventmulti/9124190/
Thank you to the many volunteer photographers: Shawn Christ, AICP, Stephanie Brown, AICP, TJ Blakeman, AICP, Anamaria Vera, and Rob Olshansky, FAICP.