New Plan Calls for Tearing Portion of Charlestowne Mall Down

ST. CHARLES, IL - Townhomes and apartments will replace most of the current Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles under the latest proposed plan by the mall's owners, the Daily Herald reports. The proposal calls for tearing down most of nearly-vacant mall and leaving the Von Maur, Carson Pirie Scott and movie theater, as well as a little additional room for retail space, at the site. Chuck Hall, who spoke on behalf of the mall's owners at Monday night's city council meeting, presented the plan to aldermen to get their preliminary feedback.

Alderman were on board with the plan and many even suggested tearing the entire mall down, the Daily Herald reports. But, for now, it appears mall owner's will move forward with its current plans of building 155 townhomes on the north end of the property and 256 apartments on the east side.

"The reason the east side is struggling is that you don't have a lot of population out there," Alderman William Turner said. "If we're going to get residential or people on the east side, this is the place we're going to do it."

City officials have been hopeful that the addition of Starbucks and Cooper's Hawk Winery, both which have agreed to build locations in the mall's outlots, would help draw more businesses into the nearly-vacant Charlestowne Mall, the Daily Herald reported in recent months.

During the meeting on Monday, May said his the mall's owner decided in recent months it needed to change direction. He said malls across the country, especially enclosed malls like the Charlestowne Mall, are struggling to draw tenants, according to the Daily Herald.

"When we had the demise of the Kohl's store -- it closed almost a year ago -- it was apparent to us we had to move in a different direction," May said.

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