St. Charles resident calls updated plan for mall property 'crap'
About 150 St. Charles residents told a developer pitching rental apartments — again — for the old St. Charles Mall property what they think of the idea in no uncertain terms.
It's been five years since Shodeen came to the city with plans to redevelop the property on the west side of town. That plan, known as the Towne Centre, died in an 8-2 vote when the majority of aldermen said they didn't want dense residential development on the site.
At the time, Shodeen and its president, David Patzelt, wanted a mix of commercial property and up to 675 residential units.
On Wednesday, Patzelt presented a vision for 609 residential units.
A wave of applause rose when one neighbor to the project called that vision “crap.”
Members of the crowd told Patzelt they believe the west side and the city's Ward 5 already has the majority of rental housing in the city. They don't want any more.
But Patzelt went through the entire history of the 30-acre site, at Route 38 and Randall Road west of 14th Street, to show that his company and various brokers have tried to draw retail clients to the property over and over, but to no avail. All the experts Shodeen consulted agreed the area of the city by Randall Road is already saturated with retail.
Deals for everything from a Tilted Kilt and a NASCAR car wash to a Lifetime Fitness and a Hardees all fell through when price, location on the site or building design couldn't be agreed upon.
Patzelt then trotted out a recent regional housing study and the city's own comprehensive plan to show St. Charles needs up to 1,700 new residential units by 2040 to accommodate demand.
“Even though you say there is an abundance of housing in this area, there's an oversupply of retail for the housing in this area,” Patzelt told the crowd.
That's where the new mixed-use development, called Prairie Centre, comes in. The plan calls for a mix of three- and four-story buildings. The four-story variety would have first-floor retail targeted for fast food or high-end restaurants.
All the apartments would be built to “condo standards” and could be sold as condos if that's what the market dictates by the time construction is complete. Patzelt said it could take up to 10 years to build out the entire project.
That's if it wins city approval. Shodeen has not even brought a concept plan to the city for the property yet. But at least four city aldermen were there Wednesday to view Patzelt's presentation.
Maureen Lewis, one of two aldermen who represent Ward 5, said the project has a long way to go before any final decisions are made. There are many chances to modify the plan between now and then, she said.
When Lewis ran for office in 2013, she said the site would ideally have a giant park on it. Failing that, she said a mix of retail, medical and office buildings, or some type of educational satellite campus would be her preference.
That matches her August 2013 vote in favor of the city's latest version of its comprehensive plan. That plan called for a mix of housing and commercial development at the old St. Charles Mall site. Aldermen Rita Payleitner, Bill Turner, Jo Kreiger and fellow Ward 5 representative Ed Bessner joined Lewis in that vote.