St. Charles is back to square one in renovating former police building – Shaw Local

St. Charles city officials are again considering the possible redevelopment of the city-owned property at 10 State Ave. to what is commonly known as the former police department.

The site has been vacant since September 2019, when the department’s new $24.6 million police station at 1515 W. Main St. opened.

After hearing several redevelopment proposals in 2022 and implementing none of them, the city plans to restart this summer with a feasibility study for the downtown riverfront property.

Committee members recommended approval of an agreement with Chicago-based architectural firm Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz & Associates, Inc. (SCB) to conduct the feasibility study at their May 6 Government Operations Committee meeting.

The agreement is expected to go before the City Council for possible final approval at its next meeting on May 20.

In the summer of 2022, the city published a developer tender for the site and received four proposals. Proposed plans included hotels and apartment complexes with buildings up to seven stories tall, mixed-use developments with restaurants, commercial spaces, outdoor plazas and riverfront promenades. The estimated cost of the proposals ranged from $60 million to $150 million.

After considering the redevelopment proposals and feedback from councilors and residents, councilors concluded that additional information and analysis of the site was required to make an informed decision on the most appropriate option.

The proposals were rejected by residents and councilors amid concerns that the scale of the projects was too large and the proposed buildings were too tall. The developer proposals were then rejected and the city then sought proposals for this feasibility study in September 2023.

Responses to the proposals were due in November 2023, and SCB was the only company to submit a proposal.

Economic Development Director Derek Conley presented the staff recommendation at the May 6 meeting.

Conley said the intent of the feasibility study is not to propose development plans, but rather to collect data to provide the city with more information about what type of development would best suit the site based on the surrounding area and existing utilities, and to determine the costs associated with making the website developable.

According to the SCB’s proposal response, the scope of the study includes a technical analysis of the site and assessments of existing conditions. Through data collection, testing and site visits, SCB will conduct environmental, geotechnical, floodplain and utility analyses.

The study will also analyze previous development proposals and provide the city with estimated demolition costs, traffic impacts and parking analysis.

If approved, the study is expected to be conducted this year and completed in four to five months. The cost is $118,680.

“We are pleased to work with the city and community to create a strategic redevelopment plan for the former police station,” SCB Planning Director Christine Carlyle said in a letter to the city. “As a team, we understand the challenges of a complex riverfront site such as the former Fox River police station site. Our riverfront plans recognize the importance of open space, bike paths and integration of the historic downtown fabric, while efficiently connecting utility, street and parking infrastructure to support desired development and help mitigate flooding.”

City staff reviewed the SCB proposal and interviewed the project manager and SCB team. Notable projects SCB has worked on in Illinois include the downtown Aurora redevelopment plan and downtown redevelopment in Hillside and Moline.

If approved, the SCB will organize a kick-off meeting with the City to review and finalize project plans, including a schedule of milestones and delivery dates, key roles and communication protocols, and a proposed schedule of meetings and workshops with City officials and residents.