City Council OKs Apartments for Former St. Charles Mall Site

ST. CHARLES, IL - St. Charles City Council voted Monday in favor of a developer's plan to build 601 apartments at the former St. Charles mall site, which has sat vacant for more than 20 years and is among one of the last pieces of developable land near the busy intersection of Route 38 and Randall Road.

Aldermen voted 6-4 in favor of Shodeen Group’s proposed Prairie Center project for the residential/retail development at the 26-acre site, which will also include a 61-unit senior housing complex, according to the Daily Herald.

Those casting “no” votes on Monday were dismayed by the lack of guarantee on the retail portion of the project, according to the Daily Herald. Shodeen has argued in recent months there is not enough of a market right now for commercial development at the site but there is a need for rental units, according to the newspaper. In the deal agreed upon on Monday, Shodeen would only move forward with the retail portion of the project as the market would allow.

Mayor Ray Rogina was among the six voting in favor of the proposed project, according to the Daily Herald.

“I have ultimate faith that the developer will provide a west gate to St. Charles that’s certainly much more graceful than what we currently have out there,” Rogina said.

More via the Daily Herald

Photo via city of St. Charles