Questions on St. Charles Towne Centre's benefits

After more than a year of public hearings, St. Charles' Towne Centre project is set to receive a positive recommendation from the city's plan commission, but not without getting some questions answered.

Plan commission Chairman Todd Wallace herded the commission's discussion around the concept of what it would take to give the plan a thumbs-up after a night of debate on a study's findings that the project could have a positive impact on the city.

Those findings met with significant doubt from a standing-room-only audience of people who've been skeptical about the project from the beginning.

St. Charles Unit District 303 Superintendent Don Schlomann, unexpectedly called to testify about the 93 new students the Towne Center would bring his district, said he is puzzled by studies that show the project will have an immediate positive impact on his district's finances.

"I have to take a little bit of exception here," Schlomann said. "We weren't included in the economic study. We get more students. We get a portion of (the cost of those new students) reimbursed. I'm trying to figure that out. The point of that is to make sure that we've really done our homework on this."

His comments drew applause from the audience.

Similar applause arose when former mayoral candidate Jotham Stein grilled city Economic Development Director Chris Aiston on any potential negative impact on the city's First Street project. First Street is an ongoing, massive mixed-use development project generally regarded as the cornerstone of the city's downtown.

Stein asked Aiston if he could say with any certainty that the Towne Centre project would have a positive impact on the future of First Street.

"I can't say that, nor can I say it will have a negative impact," Aiston responded. "It's a can't-answer question."

Commissioners ended the meeting with conversation centered on finding the mix of commercial versus residential property the development must have to be a success. Residents have expressed fears about the project becoming mostly residential if the economy significantly hinders the developer's ability to secure commercial and office tenants.

Wallace said he expects the plan commission will issue a recommendation on the project at its next meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m., April 20, at city hall.

Project: Commission's recommendation likely at next meeting