St. Charles City Council waives outdoor dining fees for restaurants near plaza construction

Restaurants near the First Street Plaza construction in downtown St. Charles will not have to pay the city for outdoor dining permits for the next 100 days to offset the hindrances caused by the construction, including dust, noise and limited accessibility.

The measure was approved in two unanimous votes, with council members Ryan Bongard and Paul Lencioni abstaining.

The decision to waive fees for the second half of the season will return to the planning and development committee for consideration on July 10. Last week, the committee made the recommendation to the full city council to waive the fees.

The sidewalk cafe permit fees are determined based on the square footage of the plaza space used by each restaurant. Each 100-day permit costs 50 cents per square foot.

Last summer, the sidewalk cafe permit fees collected from McNally's, Gia Mia, La Zaza, La Mesa and Alter Brewing totaled $7,228. This year, if fees were collected, the total from those restaurants would be about $6,480, as each restaurant had to reduce its outdoor dining space due to the construction.

St. Charles Economic Development Director Derek Conley presented the city staff recommendation to the planning and development committee in May.

Conley said waiving the fee for the entire outdoor dining season would be a gesture of goodwill toward the downtown business community, adding there may be times construction occurs during the evening and on Saturdays.

The First Street redevelopment project has been in the works since 2020. The first phase was completed last spring and included building a retention wall along the Fox River and filling the hole where the Manor Restaurant had been demolished.

The city council in March approved the second phase of funding and construction of the First Street redevelopment project. Contractors began putting up construction fences on May 1 and have since broken ground on the plaza.

The second phase will include the construction of a plaza featuring a solar pergola and public art installations. Plans also call for the permanent closure of a section of First Street to vehicles to create pedestrian walkways from the parking garage entrance north to Main Street.

At Monday night's meeting, the city council also approved an agreement for architectural services for the project with Serena Sturm Architects Ltd. for $94,200 as part of the omnibus vote. It was passed unanimously without discussion.