Well, that's some interesting stuff. I'll try and keep my reply to under 10,000 words, but we'll see.
Finding a place that meets your requirements in a week is going to be tough, but hopefully doable.
First of all, while we do have a problem with people who seem to like to shoot at each other, they don't shoot random people on stilts. I could see everyone from gang members to grandmas stopping you and asking what in the world you're doing, but not shooting you. Our crime is almost entirely between people who know each other, so as long as you don't start hanging out with drug dealers and such you should be ok.
I also wouldn't worry much about the floods. I don't believe any apartment buildings anywhere in Davenport were affected, and certainly not the Crescent Warehouse Disctrict. The only things flooded during this past summer's bad flood were the riverfront parks, some roads and parking lots, a public restroom, and a hotdog stand. Not too much to worry about.
Living downtown is great, and living in the Crescent Lofts is a great option. I used to live there. But it will depend on your income whether this is possible for anywhere near $500.
Here's the website, which you may have already seen. Two thirds of the apartments are limited to people making below a certain income, (somewhere in the mid $20,000s, I believe) and for those the 1 bedroom units may be in the $500's. If you make more than the required income, the rent is quite expensive. For 2 bedroom units with a decent view, over $1000. They're great, the view is great, the architecture is great, the manager is probably the best property manager in the Quad Cities, but they ain't cheap. A lot of people show up at the office hoping to get a place for $550, and then when they find out that they make too much money, get angry. Its just the way the tax credits used to finance the construction work.
Anyway, if you DO fall in the "moderate income" price range, you should call right away. They do background and credit checks, so I'm not sure how long it takes to make it through the process. My experience was different because it was still under construction when I was moving in. If you make less than the $24,000 a year or whatever the limit is these days, there are 2 more options downtown. One is the Mississippi Lofts, which are in the former Mississippi Hotel right in the heart of downtown (the safest area). The other is still under construction, but should be opening soon, and that's the RiverWalk Lofts. Neither of them have websites that I know of, but I put some pictures of each at the bottom of my post, along with some of the Crescent District. They are virtually entirely income-limited apartments. There are a ton of smallert apartment buildings downtown that aren't limited, but you'll just have to do some walking to check those out.
None of the places are what I would call close to Sams, but its only 5 miles according to Google Maps, and about a 10-15 minute drive. The great thing is that there are several parks and recreation paths along the river for your stilt jumping. If I see someone doing that this Spring, maybe I'll stop and say hi.
If none of this is going to work for you, I can throw in my 2 cents about non-downtown apartments also. Let me know if all this info helps.
Here are some pictures of the Crescent Lofts Disctirct. It currently includes 3 buildings run by the same company.
These first few at of the Crescent Macaroni building.
This was my place, and my view. I miss it, but it was time to give up the bachelor pad. The cement plant in the foreground of the 2nd picture has since been torn down.
These are the 4th Street Lofts building.
The Mississippi Lofts. This is an old picture from when they were renovating the building, but I can't seem to find a current exterior shot in my collection.
The still-under-renovation RiverWalk Lofts, formerly the Salvation Army building, during the Holiday Balloon Parade. I believe the upper 2 floors have river views, and the
Freight House Farmer's market is across the street, along with the entertainment options in the
Freight House, including a piano bar, restaurant, sports bar, and comedy club. Plus you'd have a good view of parades.
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