St. Charles’ eastern gateway to get major boost with Fox Haven Square
Area residents gave up long ago in thinking owners of the former Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles could reinvent the place or at least develop retail and residential to complement the surviving Von Maur store and Classic Cinema theater complex.
I have long been among those who figured a favorable result stemming from the various owners and ideas floating about for redevelopment of the mall and the city’s east gateway was akin to thinking something good could come of Chicago sports teams.
But St. Charles planners kept at it and certainly hit a potential home run when approving development of Fox Haven Square, roughly seven acres of new retail earmarked at the northeast corner of Kirk Road and Main Street (Route 64), just west of Charlestowne Mall. It’s not a redo of the mall but has the potential to have a say in that.
For those unsure about what’s going on out there, it’s time for an update, coming roughly a year since Mayor Lora Vitek, economic development director Derek Conley and the city council were singing the praises of what Fox Haven Square could do to the east side.
First, for those curious about what is going on directly south of Von Maur, that’s going to be a Chipotle restaurant, as that business is moving from its location south of Main Street to land in this new spot between Cooper’s Hawk and Starbucks. The reason? They wanted a drive-through window.
As for Fox Haven Square, Conley says the developer, GSI Family Office of Bartlett, has acquired the needed land as well as the Jewel-Osco strip just north of the site.
“GSI has submitted building plans that are being reviewed, and GSI owner Pat Greco should start grading the site and putting in foundations shortly,” Conley said.
Those foundations would be for the retailers who have already committed to the site, including Montauk Pickleball Club, the first venture of its kind from Brad Parker Hospitality, operators of The Hampton Social restaurant chain and others.
Because it will be on an out lot, Montauk is working through its own building permits and site plans, according to GSI’s Greco.
“The theme at Montauk will be similar to pickleball in that it includes summery, light colors,” Greco said. “It will have pickleball courts, and other adjacent sports, like summer lawn sports. It’s a full entertainment-hospitality operation.”
Montauk is also planning a rooftop dining area at the 20,000-square-foot building, Greco added.
Other businesses committed to the project are Fire + Wine, a wine bar and restaurant which has a site in Glen Ellyn; Taco Mucho, which operates a site in Oak Park; and Fulla Beans, a café and coffee shop similar to the one currently in Itasca.
“The site has been graded, and we hope to get foundations in soon,” Greco said. “But the ground is frozen, so we are not able to do too much right now.”
Though developers always like to see a project finished before its projected completion date, it remains a safer bet to view Fox Haven Square as something that would be open to the public in the latter stages of this year or, at the latest, early next year.
Greco said GSI Family Office, which manages the assets of Fox Haven Square and operates as a capital partner on the project, is planning to move its office to the St. Charles development in the future.
Vitek considers the development around Charlestowne Mall as a significant win for the city, not only because of the incoming restaurants and retailers, but also for the kick-start it could represent for future demolition and rebuild of the mall property.
“Von Maur is very happy and Classic Cinemas is happy (at the mall site), and I am confident we are going to see other things happening in the next couple of years,” Vitek said.
Von Maur owns its section of the mall, while Classic Cinemas rents its section but has invested much in upgrades and renovation, Vitek noted.
“We tell developers we like the retailers we have there,” she said. “We tell them we want Von Maur and the theater spots kept through some sort of demolition strategy. We want to work with them and make everybody happy.”
Vitek holds tight to the strategy that even with downtown St. Charles enjoying a revitalization with both the Arcada Theatre and First Street Plaza leading the way, both the east and west gateways remain important parts of the city economic puzzle.
“When I speak to groups, what I say is that if anyone wants to start where (the former) Pheasant Run is now, and take a drive west, you can’t say the east side isn’t being developed,” Vitek said. “It really is being developed. If you are not changing and making things appealing, then people may not want to come to (visit) your city or live in your city.”
Harley site awaits suitor
The Harley-Davidson center on the west side of St. Charles closed its doors last year as part of what market observers cited as a nationwide scaling back by the motorcycle giant.
They speculated Harley-Davidson may have overstretched itself in building such big dealership locations. Eventually, inflation and consumer caution put the company in financial straits.
Commercial real estate broker Colliers has officially put the 79,000 square-foot building on the market. St. Charles economic development director Derek Conley said a few calls have come in from those with questions about the site, but nothing official has unfolded.
Often larger sites take longer to secure a new suitor. An example would be the former Sam’s Club site in Batavia off Randall Road standing empty since 2018 but recently being earmarked for a Tesla dealership/service center and a Noble Self Storage operation along the back side.
New twists for dress giveaway
CHIP IN has always made adjustments to its annual prom dress and accessories giveaway for students from any school district, regardless of need.
The last part of that first sentence is an example. Years ago, the Batavia organization stuck to its mission of assisting those from low-income or homeless families in Batavia. Having prom dresses available at no cost has been a welcome gift for many girls who might otherwise not be able to attend their high school prom.
Over time, CHIP IN simply felt giving away dresses in good condition, as well as shoes, purses, jewelry, new makeup and other accessories was a benefit to any girl and made the program available to all students.
This year, CHIP IN made another change that helps those in need of prom dresses by adding Sunday to the dress giveaway for those who cannot make it on a Saturday.
This year’s event takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 22 and 12:30 to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 23 at the Batavia Public Library.
The drive’s dresses and accessories donation drop-off will be held at the library between Saturday, Feb. 1 and Thursday, March 20. Donations of money will be used to pay for tuxedo rentals and prom tickets for Batavia students.
Another added twist this year invites event attendees to put their names in for a gift basket giveaway.
Thoughts of a walker
Because I try to rack up 10,000 or more steps a day, and my wife goes for twice that, we decided for the first time that it would be easier to achieve those goals indoors during the winter.
We don’t fear walking in the winter, but it does get a little more dangerous with ice and bitter cold. Buying passes to walk the track at the Stephen D. Persinger Recreation Center in Geneva has turned out to be a fine solution.
You have a lot of time to think about stuff when walking around in a circle for a half hour or longer at least five times a week.
So, this is some stuff that has come to mind.
Older folks certainly get a kick out of pickleball. The courts below the walking track are often filled with pickleball players of all ages, but many appear to be 60 or older.
Some say it is a game that simply brings back the feeling of being an athlete again for those who have long passed that phase of their lives. But it is more powerful than that, it seems. Hand-eye coordination is a good skill to test every day, not to mention lateral movement, and shoulder and wrist strength.
Also, along the track, groups of senior citizens sometimes participate in sessions with intermittent walking, balancing and strength exercises. The benefits of such activities for older people or those with physical limitations are countless, including the likelihood participants are adding quality to, and extending, their lives.
I remember a line in the popular “Mad Men” TV series about life in the 1960s when a group of neighborhood ladies were gossiping about a new single, female neighbor. First, they found it odd an unmarried woman lived in this suburb. But mostly, they were dumbfounded by one of her habits, one which they had never seen: She walked around the neighborhood by herself every morning.
My, how things have changed for the better.
• dheun@sbcglobal.net