St. Charles Mayor And Aldermen Sound Off On Proposals For Developing Riverside Property That Housed Former Police Station
On Monday, the St. Charles City Council heard four proposals for developing the site of the former police station at 211 North Riverside Avenue.
Two of the proposals seemed to be met favorably, both of which would involve the construction of 5-7 story buildings in the heart of downtown St. Charles.
As previously reported in the Kane County Chronicle, the first proposal, presented by local developer Frontier Development, along with Chicago-based The Prime Group, called for the construction of a 6-story building and parking garage that would contain a hotel (with conference space), 4 restaurants and residential units. The proposal included an 85,000-square-foot outdoor plaza, two rooftop pools and 750 lineal feet of public riverwalk. The $150 million project would require $20 million in incentives from the city.
Prior to the 2007 completion of the Milestone Row development on South Third Street, downtown St. Charles had only 2 buildings higher than 3 stories: Carroll Towers (built in 1984) and Hotel Baker (built in 1928). If one of the two favored proposals is accepted, the downtown will have 7 such buildings, over half of which would have been built since 2016.
The second proposal, put forward by Chicago-based Murphy Development, called for the construction of a five- to seven-story building that would house residential units, one restaurant and 3,000 square feet of commercial space.
According to the Chronicle report, the majority of alderpersons voiced their preference for two of the four proposals.
If either proposal is fully accepted, the alteration of the St. Charles “skyline” will continue apace.
Prior to the 2007 completion of the Milestone Row development on South Third Street, downtown St. Charles had only 2 buildings higher than 3 stories: Carroll Towers (built in 1984) and Hotel Baker (built in 1928). If one of the two favored proposals is accepted, downtown will have 7 such buildings, over half of which would have been built since 2016.
Alderman Rita Payleitner expressed some reservations to Fox Valley Magazine.
“My vision, my hope, has always been to bring in a project that complements our beautiful municipal campus, not dwarf it – and God forbid diminish it. I would love to see a plan that allows for the use, enjoyment, appreciation, access and engagement of our citizens.”
Alderman Brian Wirball shared Payleitner’s concerns about size.
“One concern that stood out for me is the lack of open green space and public amenities in all of the concept plans. The density of the buildings being proposed is also a concern. There are a lot of questions that still need to be answered regarding the concepts plans that we have not even touched on yet with the developers. Have we explored all of our options and alternative uses for that prime piece of public property? I do not believe we have at this point, but I look forward to continuing the discussions with my constituents and the City Council.”
Alderman David Pietryla observed that “From my point of view, it appeared the Council generally favored redevelopment options that were less dense and supported more open space. I look forward to additional discussions.”
Mayor Vitek expressed optimism in the process.
“I thought we had a great discussion at the City Council Workshop about what type of development would best contribute to the future of St. Charles,” she said in a statement. “I was excited at the possibility of moving forward with two of the proposals presented and was happy to hear that a majority of the Council was in favor of hearing more from those developers as well. My vision is to continue to make St. Charles a thriving community where residents, businesses, and visitors all want to be. This unique redevelopment opportunity builds on the work started by the previous City Councils, as we perform due diligence in researching what is most feasible and beneficial for the community in that location.”
All the aldermen and the Mayor stressed that they would not accept any proposal that would impact the historic Municipal Building nearby.
