Ice skating path, band shell, shops and more still on the table for old St. Charles police station site on Fox River

An ice skating path, a band shell, shops or an open-air market space are all still on the table for St. Charles’ old police station site, as the city continues to mull what it will do with the downtown riverfront property that’s been vacant for several years.

The old St. Charles police station site — at 211 N. Riverside Ave., along the downtown riverfront — has stood vacant since 2019, when the city’s police department moved to a new facility at 1515 Main St.

The property was previously considered for redevelopment in 2021, but the city council at the time rejected the four proposals that were submitted.

The city ultimately did a feasibility study that outlined the potential uses of the site and evaluated considerations like parking and utilities.

Among the possibilities for the site were reusing the existing structure, turning the area into an open space for community events or constructing commercial or residential developments.

Since then, the city has undertaken public engagement efforts for the local community to weigh in on the plans, hosting an open house and workshop and seeking resident input via an online survey.

From there, the city landed on the site serving as a space for the public, with some different programming options. The city’s current plan is to partner with the St. Charles Park District on the site’s redevelopment, and the two entities have already met to begin discussions on the next steps, according to a city memo.

At a meeting of the St. Charles City Council’s Committee of the Whole on Aug. 31, Derek Conley, the city’s economic development director, outlined some of the potential options for the site and what each would entail.

A band shell is one possibility being considered, Conley told the city council members. The amenity — which could have lower operating costs compared to some of the other options under consideration — could function as a gathering space for the community, he said, as well as increase foot traffic in the city’s downtown. It could also be fairly small, and wouldn’t necessarily take up the full site.

However, downsides include it being a seasonal use, possible noise concerns, a lack of direct revenue being generated by it and the need for significant programming at the site, Conley explained.

An ice skating path is another option.

The city and park district could consider a skating ribbon with technology that would allow it to operate as long as the temperature is below 50 degrees, Conley said, meaning it could potentially operate from November through February.

During the summer, it could be converted into a walking path, he said.

This option, Conley said, could also increase downtown foot traffic, particularly during the slower months, but it would likely bring high upfront costs to construct it and high operating costs that are unlikely to be fully offset by revenue from skate rentals and concessions.

A small shops concept, similar to the Batavia Boardwalk Shops, is also under consideration.

This option wouldn’t take up the full site, according to Conley. It could be climate-controlled and therefore open for the majority of the year, again bringing in more foot traffic and potentially serving as a destination for tourists. The amenity could also be paired with a farmers market adjacent to it, he said.

It would also bring more retail to the downtown area, he said, and support local entrepreneurship. The city would charge rent for businesses to set up in the shops.

That could, however, come with some drawbacks, Conley noted, like the possibility of the shops creating competition with existing downtown businesses and the difficulty of finding vendors each year.

The setup would also generate limited sales tax revenue, according to Conley, and could bring with it high upfront and operating costs. Moreover, the potential cost of this plan can be hard to determine, he said, because projects like these are sometimes done on environmentally challenging sites a municipality is looking to reuse.

Lastly, Conley floated the possibility of an open-air market — essentially a covered community space that can be used for a variety of public activities, like farmers markets and festivals. When not in use, Conley said, such an amenity could be used for additional parking.

An open-air market would have lower operating costs compared to the other options, Conley said, but it also wouldn’t directly generate revenue and would require programming in the space.

At the Aug. 31 meeting, Conley noted that the building along the river may be kept as part of the plans the city picks and could potentially be used for public restrooms. He added that the river wall and adjacent pathway in the area need to be replaced, which could add $3 million to $5 million to the cost of the city’s eventual plans.

The city is in ongoing talks with the park district about potential site plans, Conley said. Once they land on a concept, he said, the city would need to work with the park district to determine who will be responsible for what on the site. From there, the city would move on to engineering, a formal agreement with the city and park district, and construction.