A $35 million water park and RV resort is coming to Riverside as the community prepares for increased casino competition from Cedar Rapids.
Elite Casino Resorts broke ground Thursday on Blackjack Beach, a new RV resort, water park and event destination across Highway 22 from Riverside Casino & Golf Resort. Developers say the project will create about 150 jobs and help draw more visitors to Riverside and the surrounding region.
The groundbreaking comes more than a decade after Elite Casino Resorts CEO Dan Kehl proposed building a water park in Cedar Rapids.
In 2013, Kehl expressed interest in developing a water park and event space on city-owned land if Linn County voters rejected a proposal for a Cedar Rapids casino.
