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St. Charles aldermen moving ahead on seeking proposals for redevelopment of former police station

St. Charles aldermen are moving ahead with plans to seek development proposals for the former police station and adjacent city-owned properties.

At the St. Charles City Council Planning and Development Committee meeting on Monday, aldermen unanimously recommended the city seek conceptual proposals for the former police station along the Fox River. The development site potentially includes adjacent open spaces and parking lots.

The full city council will vote on the recommendation. Last year, aldermen decided to hold off on seeking development proposals in light of the adverse economic conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In September 2019, the department's new $24.6 million state-of-the-art police station at 1515 W. Main St. opened for business. The new 56,000-square-foot station replaces the department's former quarters at 211 N. Riverside Ave., portions of which date back almost 100 years.

"The intent of this request for conceptual proposals is to identify potential project concepts that meet the city's interests for redevelopment of the property," states a draft of the document.

The document states the city prefers a mixed-use redevelopment proposal but that it is open to the property being developed for retail or office use or as a restaurant or hotel, or for condominiums or apartments, in upper floors only.

It also states the proposal "should take into consideration the quality and style of architecture in the downtown and how the proposed building complements the existing built environment."

Any proposal will need to meet parking demands.

"Growing the commercial or residential base in downtown will require special attention to address parking demand," it states. "Proposals should include parking to accommodate the requirements of the development, and to the extent possible, parking should be located internally. Any parking that exceeds the minimum required parking for the development would be considered favorable."

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