Icons for Sale: City Hopes Old Jail Site Could Undergo Commercial Redevelopment

• Editor's note: This is the 11th of a multipart summer series by  and  looking at the iconic Geneva buildings for sale or facing future moves, and what those moves mean for Geneva's long-term development. See the series intro .

In 2008, the Kane County jail and sheriff’s office left its home on Fabyan Parkway and moved west, next to the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles Township. Since then, the site of the old jail—all 26 acres of it—has remained vacant.

The property sits adjacent to the Settler’s Hill Golf Course, and is also near the Fox Valley Ice Arena and —home of the Kane County Cougars. Geneva city officials believe commercial use of the space could anchor the area as an entertainment destination.

“We’ve made it public that we would like to see a use that would support the county entertainment that’s out there: the Cougars and the Ice Arena,” said Geneva’s Economic Development Director Ellen Divita. “We would like to see a hotel, maybe a banquet center, and maybe an internal connection system to Cougars stadium. That’s the city’s vision, and the council’s been united in that.”

The city has worked to amend zoning on the property to allow for commercial development with the hope of attracting developers. This would also allow the city to collect property taxes on a site previously kept off the tax rolls.

The county owns the land, however, and the County Board ultimately decide what becomes of the property. In 2009, the Kane County Development Committee endorsed the city’s vision for commercial redevelopment.

Divita believes that, although the county and city share a similar vision, the economy and temperamental real estate market make sale of the site uncertain.

“I think there’s a consensus of use. It’s a question of timing, ownership and final details,” she said.

Dick Untch, Geneva’s community development director, says the county is surveying its possibilities for the property at this point.

“The basic discussion that the (county has) had is about preparing a request for proposals to developers to solicit interest in the site and for developers to come up with proposals on what they’d be willing to pay and what kinds of uses they’d be interested in establishing on the site,” Untch said.

With the substantial size of the property, a development similar to Pheasant Run Resort or the Ravinia Festival is possible.

“We have 26 acres out here to develop,” said Geneva’s Mayor Kevin Burns. “Imagine what we can accomplish.”