Jeff Hughbanks (right), who heads Rock Island-based Rymak Construction Group, talks about his $12-million plan to build a new cannabis dispensary and gas station in southwest Rock Island, at a press conference Friday at city hall (photo by Jonathan Turner
Nature’s Treatment of Illinois (NTI) has done so well in Milan that it wants to fly the coop and a build a bigger nest in Rock Island. Local environmentalists are keeping an eagle eye on a $12-million-plus development plan next to Bally’s Quad Cities Casino & Hotel to ensure that wildlife and wetlands are protected.
“NTI is coming to Rock Island; we’re very excited about it,” developer Jeff Hughbanks said Friday morning at a press conference about the controversial project at Rock Island City Hall.
“We’ve outgrown the space we’re at now. This will allow us to incorporate a smoking lounge, a food-service venue out back with an entertainment area,” he said. “We really took a lot of time and effort to get to this point here, to really fit this development into the area.
“We appreciate the city of Rock Island and everyone who’s been involved, and we’re excited to come to Rock Island,” Hughbanks said.
The 10-acre vacant development site is attractive to developers (led by Jeff Hughbanks of Rymak Construction Group and Matt Stern of Stern Beverage) because they could build a large dispensary including a large consumption lounge with scenic views, and a gas station that would serve many businesses to the south along Andalusia Road, as well as travelers along the highway, said Rock Island community development director Miles Brainard.
The city has been interested in having a cannabis dispensary for a very long time, he noted. Hughbanks said that NTI (973 Tech Drive, Milan IL) is the most successful in the state of Illinois – among 244 dispensaries total, all generating a total of more than $2 billion in 2024 sales.
“These businesses are known for their high sales-tax revenue, which would do a lot to improve the financial health of the city,” Brainard said Friday. The developer has asked Rock Island (at 3809 60th Avenue West, just west of Bally’s) to build an access road and extend utilities, and help offset their construction costs.
The adjacent tax-increment financing (TIF) district, used to help with the casino development, was identified as having funds that can be used to build the road and extend utilities. Its boundaries would need to be expanded to include the 10-acre parcel.
TIF funds can’t be used for new construction so the city has decided to establish a new business development district (BDD) in the same area. Unlike TIFs, which generate revenue from increased property taxes, the BDD produces revenue from increased sales taxes, Brainard said.
In late January 2025, the city approved a new development agreement for the casino west plan, and a consultant began work on expansion of the existing TIF district and creation of the new BDD – which will be discussed at the next city council meeting Monday, March 24. Some of the money could be used in a wetland management plan for the area.
Development Agreement Details
No taxpayer money will be used for the city incentives, which are mainly based on sales taxes on site, Mayor Mike Thoms said. The agreement includes selling the land to the developer for its appraised value of $270,000, and they may use existing TIF funds for the purchase.
The agreement requires the development to be built within three years, with up to $6 million in sales-tax revenue rebated to the developer. The city will only reimburse funds that are eligible BDD and TIF expenses, and the city is not obligated to pay the full $6 million if the developer fails to submit eligible expenses for repayment, or if there is not $6 million in eligible expenses, according to the agreement.
Rock Island’s total economic incentive, including the development of off-site infrastructure, will not exceed $6 million nor more than 50 percent of the total project costs, whichever is less.
An online petition (currently with 2,756 signatures as of Friday) notes a group of citizens and local environmental organizations urge the city council to consider the myriad impacts of this project and alter the proposed development. Specifically, they are seeking to move the truck stop away from this location and shrink the proposed TIF district so that it does not include wetlands or areas that are in the current floodplain as designated by FEMA.
The property is among 538 acres donated to the city by RiverStone Group in 2022, and the 10-acre parcel is ideal for commercial development, strategically located near the intersection of I-280 and Illinois 92. The Bally’s casino first opened there in 2008.
“Most importantly, the 10-acre site is at higher elevation than its surroundings,” Brainard said Friday. “It is outside of the floodplain and is not itself a wetland. In contrast, the surrounding 528 acres does not have commercial development potential.”
The city council approved acquisition of the 538 acres in December 2022 and a first environmental site assessment was conducted. The city knew any development on that parcel had the potential to impact surrounding wetlands and additional studies would be needed later, Brainard said.
Additional studies the city has done say that the 10-acre site is “generally suitable for commercial development,” Brainard said. The city does not yet have final site plans from the developer.
“However, the city has every expectation that the developer will take care to maintain the trees and other vegetation around the parcel’s periphery to act as a buffer to noise and light,” he said Friday.
The city has no plans to encroach on any of the surrounding wetlands, Brainard said. “The wetlands are a valuable natural resource that the city wants to protect. This proposed development will actually help make that possible.”
Environmental and Wildlife Concerns
Mayor Mike Thoms said city officials have listened to those who oppose the plan. He, city staff as well as Jeff Hughbanks and some of his staff, met with representatives of the local Sierra Club, Prairie Rivers Network, the Nahant Marsh board and Kelly McKay a retired biologist and local expert on bald eagle night roosting, on February 27 to hear their concerns.
The city supports a new conservation easement that would prohibit any development in the remaining 528 acres, Thoms said. He is forming a task force made up of conservationists, city representatives, residents and the developer to provide input on creation of the conservation easement and a wetland protection plan.
Monday’s council meeting will start the process of establishing the conservation easement, to be completed within six months, and a wetland management plan within a year. Rock Island has had a long partnership with the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative, on environmental issues including flood prevention and wetland protection, the mayor said.
“The truck stop is not much of a truck stop,” Thoms said of the planned development, to include 20 gas pumps and 10 EV charging stations. “The city is in the process of selling the site to the developer and the developer has to meet all state and federal regulations. No federal funds are being used on this project.”
“We must strive to balance the city’s need for economic development with environmental conservation, which I believe can be hand in hand,” Thoms said. “The city is committed to economic development, while protecting our natural resources.”
Nahant Marsh executive director Brian Ritter said this week that Milan Bottoms is the largest intact natural area in the Quad Cities – part of a much larger complex that includes Big Island, Nahant Marsh, and Credit Island, formed by the confluence of the Rock and Mississippi Rivers.
It is home to the largest, and arguably most important wintering bald eagle communal night roost in the lower 48 states, Ritter said by e-mail. “It provides critical bird, reptile, and amphibian habitat in general and is also very likely home to a multitude of other state and federally endangered species, including the Indiana and Northern Long-eared bats, and the Blanding’s turtle (all of which has been documented directly across the river at Nahant Marsh).”
Even though the proposed 10-acre development site is not a wetland, they suspect that many of the turtles, snakes, and other species use this site for nesting, overwintering, and for refuge when there is flooding, he said.
An environmental assessment of the site done by Shive-Hattery, Ritter said, “was grossly inadequate. The report does not even mention bald eagles. It was a desktop exercise and to our knowledge no biologist even bothered to step foot on the property. At the very least, we would like the city of Rock Island and/or developer to have someone conduct a full investigation and submit an Environmental Impact Statement to assess the impact of this development.
“I am concerned that the city is ignoring this and not providing adequate assurances that the truck stop will not have a negative impact during flood conditions,” he added. “I worry about the potential light, noise, air, and water pollution that will likely be caused, especially from the truck stop.”
More Than 100 People at the Hearing
On March 17, environmental groups organized a "Roost-In" protest at the Rock Island City Council meeting, expressing concerns over the city's plan to build a mini-mart in the Milan Bottoms area. Protesters, including wildlife biologist Kelly McKay, argue that such development would harm local wildlife, particularly the bald eagle population. McKay emphasized the need to relocate the development, stating, "We’re not telling them don’t do the development; we’re saying don’t do it there, because of the sensitivity of this site to bald eagles."
Prior to the "Roost-In," more than 100 environmental advocates attended a public hearing to oppose the expansion of Rock Island's TIF district to include the Milan Bottoms wetlands. They fear that incorporating these wetlands into the TIF district could lead to future developments detrimental to the ecosystem. The city contends that the TIF expansion could generate funds for conservation efforts, with Miles Brainard stating, "We here at the city care a lot about the wetlands and the creatures living out there. And we want as best we can preserve and enhance those wetlands."
Improvements may include walkways for bird viewing and a kayak launch. The developer plans to keep the tree line that borders the back portion of the property as a barrier between the facility and the wetlands/wooded area and construct a protective berm.
The Nature’s Treatment cannabis dispensary and gas station will incorporate eco-friendly landscaping.
The developer is committed to directing parking lot lighting and facility lighting downward and away from the wooded areas.
The Save Milan Bottoms group is demanding that the council:
* Table the proposed truck-stop development until environmental and archaeological reviews are completed.
* Put the long-term conservation easement in writing.
* Clearly identify who benefits from the TIF expansion.
“In addition to the conservation easement discussion on Monday, we must also keep an eagle eye on the truck stop etc. development and demand the city table the 10-acre project until proper environmental and archaeological reviews are conducted,” the group posted on Facebook. “These reviews should have already been done, so to prove good faith, the city should get this done before proceeding with the plans to develop the 10 acres of high ground surrounding our precious and beloved Milan Bottoms.”
The council meeting Monday will consider wetland protection. The city acknowledges that there are concerns among many that the wetlands may be threatened by future commercial development in the southwest area.
The council will direct the city manager, in consultation with a mayor-appointed task force, to create, within 12 months, a wetland management plan involving a robust stakeholder engagement process. The plan shall include a proposed governance framework establishing how the wetlands shall be managed and by whom. It shall also include recommendations for future investments that both preserve the natural environment and further the public interest.
The council also will direct the city manager within six months to present a recommendation on the establishment of a conservation easement that would prohibit future commercial development in the wetland area.
Brainard said Friday there may be additional studies needed as the developer goes through the permitting process, and working with state and federal agencies.
“We’re also looking for direction from the task force, if there’s additional things,” he said.
Hughbanks said he’s planning for a project groundbreaking within a month.
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