'Ambitious' plan for former St. Charles mall

The site of a St. Charles mall that closed 11 years ago and has long been a sore spot among city officials who have struggled to get the property back on the tax rolls might have a new life yet.

Geneva-based developer Shodeen Management has filed preliminary plans for an "ambitious" redevelopment project, expected to cost upward of $400 million, for the vacant land at the northeast corner of Route 38 and Randall Road, officials said Wednesday.

The proposal, set for its first public presentation next month, outlines a mix of retail, housing and office space in a cluster of buildings ranging in height from one to eight stories, according to the city.

Although the project is expected to undergo revisions in a monthslong city review process, it has the potential to be an "exclamation point here in the Fox Valley," Mayor Don DeWitte said.

"The project, as it relates to everything else up and down Randall Road, really has some exciting opportunities," he said. "It has the potential of being just an absolutely standout development for the Randall Road corridor."

The 300,000-square-foot mall that previously occupied the site was relatively short-lived.

The shopping center opened in the early 1980s and closed in 1996. Over the years, officials tried to market the empty structure to potential buyers, but it seemed to attract only vandals.

In 2002, the old mall was demolished to make way for a 26-acre auto mall that was also proposed by Shodeen, but it never came to be.

Among the city's efforts to spur the mall site's redevelopment was creation in 2002 of a tax increment financing district, which can be used to freeze property taxes and pump the revenue from the increasing property value back into the development as a lure to developers. The district remains in effect today.

"We've not gotten into any specific discussions as yet if that TIF assistance or any additional TIF assistance may or may not be required," the mayor said. "Shodeen has shared with us they're looking at a potential investment of $300 million to $400 million, so the valuation of a property of this magnitude could be good for all our sister government entities."

The site is just inside the southern city limits, next door to Geneva. Surrounding developments include Jewel-Osco and Dominick's stores.

City Administrator Brian Townsend said Shodeen is proposing about 300,000 square feet of retail and office space as well as 900 condominiums and residential units. DeWitte said some of the residences might be rental.

Townsend said there would be some street parking between buildings and other parking areas, similar to those in "lifestyle centers" popping up elsewhere in the suburbs. But the varying building sizes and overall design elements would make the development fresh in the Tri-Cities, he said.

"I think anybody who looks at this would say it's really unique in this market," Townsend said. "It's not something that's ever been proposed in the Tri-Cities previously."

Representatives with Shodeen, which also built the old mall and saw to its demolition, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The public can get its first look at the project during a plan commission meeting set for 7 p.m. Dec. 18 at city hall, 2 E. Main St.

If approved in coming months, construction would unfold in six phases over eight to 10 years, officials said.

DeWitte said he hopes the project will become reality, particularly after years of struggling to get the property back on track and producing tax revenue.

"The general public has been as frustrated as we have as elected officials about getting that property back on the tax rolls," he said.