Former St. Charles mayor says city still 'a paradise'

While mayor of St. Charles from 1977 to 1997, Fred Norris had a flair for words. One remark early in his tenure as the city's leader left a lasting impression with those who felt he was a bit dramatic or, worse, full of baloney.

Speaking from his heart, Norris described St. Charles as a "paradise." He was simply stating how he felt about the city he grew up in, but would toss the "paradise" card around when a developer or a project threatened to change his vision.

Norris will be 80 years old in November, spending half of each year in his newfound paradise of The Villages in central Florida.

I was far younger when Norris proclaimed St. Charles residents were living in an Illinois version of Shangri-La, and figured this fellow had never been to Hawaii or La Jolla, California.

Now, as an older gent myself, I have come to appreciate Norris' take on our communities, and view the Tri-Cities area as one in which you certainly can't go wrong in calling it home. Paradise? Well, we still have winters and the taxes are really high, so it's hard to go that far. But we certainly love it.

"I still consider St. Charles a paradise," said Norris, who will be back in this area in a couple of months. "I grew up on the river with all of the blessings anyone could have in a beautiful community."

Residents need only to look at the top-rate park district, schools and city government in St. Charles to realize they live in a pretty nice place, Norris added.

But has the city somehow become a "paradise lost" since he last called it home year-round about eight years ago now?

"The only thing that really changed was Springfield and its total domination of how the community can operate and what happens with taxes," Norris said. "It was one of the reasons we decided to downsize and pick up stakes."

So we agree on that count - that the do-nothing, non-talking heads in Springfield are slowly but surely ruining our state.

Norris also admitted it has been painful to watch the malls that St. Charles tried to develop over the years - St. Charles Mall on the west side and Charlestowne Mall on the east side - ultimately fail.

"The synergy the city was trying to create seemed to leave the area when those things happened," he said.

"But you look at what is happening along Randall and Kirk roads, and the downtowns still being able to keep the quaintness of the Tri-Cities, and there are good things happening," Norris added.

For now, Norris is satisfied in living in his two paradises. It was just good to hear that the guy who gave his city that label so many years ago, and was never shy about boasting it, still embraces that belief while also showing there are great hiding places when the cold weather sets in.

Speaking of paradise:

It's easy to establish that Tri-Cities residents generally love their communities and hate to see changes that take away established charm.

Thus, we have residents in St. Charles fighting Shodeen Corp. about plans for multifamily housing on the former St. Charles Mall site, and Genevans are up in arms over the Marquette apartments proposal for State and Richards.

So it begs the question: Why are we even talking about apartments or multifamily living?

If I were a wealthy developer, my focus would be on the fastest growing demographic: Building a set of townhouses or small homes in a nice setting with a walking path and court area for activities for retired Baby Boomers who aren't going to get younger.

A good example of this strategy is the Highlands' Garden Village, just outside Denver, Colorado. This seniors-only housing project was highlighted in the March AARP magazine.

St. Charles officials have pushed Shodeen to think more about senior housing, but the current plan is for a mix of age groups.

Homes specifically for seniors could include lower sinks and countertops, as needed for those in wheelchairs. The complexes could have a security person and medical staff living on-site or working in shifts to help aging residents.

Nearby residents would not have to worry about a major uptick in traffic, crime or kids flooding the schools.

Nice apartments are surely needed to allow our young people to stay in the towns they grew up in as well, but I'm thinking we are going to have a lot more empty commercial and retail buildings in the coming years that could become cool loft apartments or urban housing for younger generations.

But, hey, I'm not wealthy or a developer. I'm just a journalist who types words in a computer.

Batavia's turn:

Geneva and St. Charles have hosted restaurant weeks, so it's Batavia's turn.

Diners in Batavia will be able to get 25 percent off meals tomorrow through Friday when they bring a coupon from a newspaper, magazine or off the city's website.

Batavia has plenty of fine restaurants participating in the event, but here's the first thought that crossed my mind: This would be a good time to stop in at The Elms, 912 Main St., a small restaurant that has been serving Batavians for decades.

Or stop by The Range Grill & Tap on North Water Street and ask the owners how their plans for a summer deck and fire pit are coming along. Or stop by Honey Jam Café and tell the owners you are glad this excellent breakfast spot reopened.

Along Fritz Lane:

You never know where you might see new houses pop up among houses that have been with us for some time. Examples turn up all over the Tri-Cities either along the river or within established neighborhoods.

One area you might not expect is on Fritz Lane off South Street in Geneva. Four new houses have gone up in that short strip in the past couple of years that turned out quite nice for that neighborhood.

dheun@sbcglobal.net