Jan. 12--The City Council signaled their willingness Monday to allow a local developer to build hundreds of residential units on the old St. Charles mall site.
The land -- 28 acres north of Illinois Route 38, south of Prairie Street and east of Randall Road -- has been considered ripe for development since the mall closed in 1996. Shodeen Group first submitted a concept plan in 2007 for more than 700 residential units, parking decks and some retail, but after years of meetings and neighborhood hearings, the council denied the plan in 2010.
Aldermen said Monday that they are open to the idea of a planned unit development, which Shodeen representatives recently presented a plan for at a committee meeting. It included 609 units with underground parking, as well as retail and restaurants on the ground floor of some of the buildings.
"We'll get something done here," said Ald. Todd Bancroft to the developers.
He stressed, though, that Shodeen will have to devise a way to make the development different than just a "homogenous bunch of buildings."
Residents have consistently voiced opposition to a residential proposal, maintaining that the location lends itself to commercial and retail use.
Donald McKay, with Nagle Hartray Architecture, who presented the plan for Shodeen, said Monday that Shodeen worked with three different firms to market the area for commercial use, but it didn't garner enough interest.
"What is desired by many residents may not be economically feasible," McKay said, who added that not having frontage on Randall Road is a distinguishing factor.
Shodeen's push for residential units is backed by regional studies that predict increasing demand for multi-family housing in coming years, representatives said.
Still, residents and aldermen said that, if the development will be primarily residential, it will need something special to make it marketable to a wide range of ages -- from empty nesters to millennials returning to St. Charles.
Tavia Tawney of St. Charles said that younger people can choose to live in apartments or condos in Wheaton with downtown shops and nearby running paths. This one, she said, will face a Salvation Army.
"This one doesn't feel like it has a sense of community," she said.
Multiple aldermen agreed they would like the development to incorporate senior housing, and the representatives said they could designate an area for senior living.
No action was taken Monday night. Because the council indicated a willingness to consider the plan, the developer has the green light to work on a more detailed proposal.
Alexa Aguilar is a freelance reporter for Chicago Tribune.
