St. Charles plans to offer incentives to help Mediterranean restaurant build screened-in patio

St. Charles is poised to award $45,000 in grant funding to help a downtown restaurant enhance its outdoor dining space.

Owners of Eden on the River are hoping to make better and more frequent use of their deck along the Fox River by removing a portion of the existing patio and replacing it with a screened-in structure, said Russell Colby, the city's assistant community and economic development director. Three garage doors opening to the outdoor dining area also will be installed.

The planning and development committee voted unanimously Monday to support requests for two grants to help cover project expenses at the Mediterranean restaurant, which is located at the southeast corner of the Fox Island Square, 1 Illinois St.

The first would reimburse Eden on the River for up to $20,000 in eligible facade improvement costs. The city's historic preservation committee determined the project qualified for such funding, saying the proposed updates would be visible from various angles, increase the deck's usability and complement the architecture of the building, city documents show.

The second grant, a maximum $25,000, would be awarded through the city's commercial corridor and downtown economic incentive program, which aims to encourage the renovation and investment of properties in the downtown area.

Eden on the River plans to put roughly $301,200 into its new 1,800-square-foot covered patio, which will have removable screens, according to a contractor's statement.

Though the deck won't be usable year-round, it would provide a more flexible option for outdoor dining and events in varying weather conditions, Colby said.

"From the city's standpoint, they're bringing more activity onto the riverfront and making better utilization of that property," he said. "That's in our interest."

The structure's location along the river and its potential impact to the floodplain may limit how it is built, Colby said. The project is under building and stormwater review as part of the permitting process.

The city council is expected to formally vote on whether to award the grants at an upcoming meeting. The project likely would be completed by this spring, Colby said.