It's
been nearly 2 years since we first heard the rumor that a new
marina may be built on the Iowa side of the river. The proposed
marina, which would be located on the  Missouri
River just east of the new Lewis and Clark Landing in Omaha, is
still in the plans but is waiting for someone to take the lead.
Developers have asked the City of Council
Bluffs for a one-year extension on an option to purchase the 14
acre city-owned land just west of Playland Park. The project would
include a new marina and upscale condominium complex. The new
pedestrian bridge over the Missouri River would also end at this
location. The current option ends on December 31st of this year.
Council Bluffs officials are asking the
City Council to take the lead on the project. A public hearing has
been set for December 17th to decide if the extension request
should be approved. The architect and developers - the DLR
Group and Signa Development Services (a division of the DLR
group) are waiting for direction.
Some of the delay is being caused by
bridge plans not yet finalized by the City of Omaha but the major
stopping block could be the river-flow changes being introduced by
the  U.S.
Corps of Engineers. Water-level changes could make a marina
impractical or too expensive. The corps has been holding public
forums on the proposed master manual changes and expects to make a
decision by the end of March 2002.
The expected cost of this riverfront
development project falls somewhere between $40 million and $50
million and will be named the Renaissance Center. Many city
officials view this as a glittering entrance on the waters edge
from Omaha. 
ED NOTE: The picture at bottom-right is
an original conceptual drawing which was released in Spring 2001 as
a representation of the proposed marina and housing complex.
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ouncil
Bluffs City Council members met with developers this week and have
reached an agreement that grants the 