St. Charles gas station, car wash proposed for former Regole family homestead

Surrounded by retail, restaurants and high-trafficked roadways, one piece of unincorporated property on the east side of St. Charles appears a bit out of character.

Known as the Regole family homestead, the 2.37-acre parcel at Kirk Road and East Main Street still contains a house, barn, shed and corn crib - all aging and vacant for several years, city officials said.

The size and shape of the lot have deterred developers from attempting to build on it in the past. The PRIDE Stores, Inc. and CIMA Developers now are trying their luck with a proposed gas station, convenience store and car wash.

"Based on the tough configuration of the site plan, we feel this is the best foot forward," said Dan Soltis, vice president of real estate for CIMA.

Concept plans were presented this week during a planning and development committee meeting, where some aldermen expressed early support for the land use. Given the physical challenges of the space, Alderman Dan Stellato said, "I don't know what the other option is."

The project also would help fill a need for more gas stations on the east side of town, officials said.

"There's very little competition (over there)," Alderman William Turner said. "I'm all for this."

But Aldermen Maureen Lewis and Rita Payleitner said they aren't convinced a gas station and car wash make sense on such a visually prominent lot. They'd prefer to see a destination business where visitors would park and stay a while, rather than something that enables constant come-and-go traffic.

"Is this 24/7 gas station the highest, best use for our entry into the city? I don't see it," Payleitner said. "I think it's too much on too little a space."

The Regole family previously had about 300 acres of farmland that has been sold off over time and developed into the Main Street Commons shopping center and Stuart's Crossing subdivision, according to a memo from city planner Ellen Johnson.

CIMA Developers is under contract to purchase the remaining homestead, which would have to be annexed into the city and rezoned to a regional business district.

The company's plans include constructing a PRIDE gas station with eight fuel pumps, as well as a 4,500-square-foot convenience store with a quick-service restaurant inside, on the west side of the property. On the east side, an automatic car wash and 12 vacuum stalls would be installed.

This is the first proposal the city has seen for that location, which Alderman Todd Bancroft said could be a "red flag."

"It's a tough site. It's a tough business to run on that site," he said, though he admitted, "I'm not sure what else we'd put there."

Developers are finalizing the lot layout, accessibility and other details based on suggestions from aldermen and the city's plan commission. Officials also stressed the importance of high-quality landscaping and architecture because of the prominence of the intersection.

Johnson said the next step is for developers to submit zoning applications, including elevations and engineering plans, to the city.