The City of St. Charles - Economic Development Department

Corridor Improvement Program: Background

In 2001, the City of St. Charles launched an innovative ne w program -- the Corridor Improvement Program -- as yet another way to improve St. Charles as a place to live, work, shop, and play. The Corridor Improvement Program is designed to enhance the physical appearance of private property (excluding buildings) adjoining the City’s three most traveled auto and pedestrian "corridors": Main Street (IL Rt 64), Randall Road, and Kirk Road. The program is intended to encourage and assist owners of highly-visible properties along these corridors to make improvements to their property, primarily of a landscaping nature, which would enhance the overall appearance and thus the economic vitality and character of the City. Additionally, design criteria and preferred materials have been developed for improvements of properties in the Downtown District.

The Corridor Improvement Program is administered by the City’s new Corridor Improvement Commission, which will oversee the Corridor Improvement Grant Program, reviewing grant applications and recommending awards to the City Council. This commission is appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the City Council. Please visit the Boards and Commission page of the City's web site for a current list of the Corridor Improvement Commission members.

To implement the new program, design consultant services were engaged. The firm of DLK Architecture Inc. was chosen to undertake this new project, for several reasons. DLK has a long history of creative bold design work, and they maintain a strong connection to the history of the communities in which they work. We were especially pleased with their philosophy. When interviewed, they told us that for the new Corridor Improvement Program to be a success, it would have to start with education regarding the benefits that sound, well-designed landscaping provides for a property owner. Therefore, you will find an educational tone throughout this document, including a glossary of landscaping terms, and presentation of a "palette" of plants that will thrive in St. Charles.

To create these Design Guidelines, the Commission worked with DLK for 6 months, met with the St. Charles Tree Commission, and hosted a public meeting held in May of 2001. All business and property owners within the Corridor District were invited to that meeting. Our thanks to the many City employees, the Tree Commission, residents, and business owners who have taken the time to provide input for the development of this innovative program.

The benefits of landscaping a property are many -- including increased attention and a more positive image for the business located on the property, heating and air conditioning savings, reduced property maintenance costs, and increased property values. The benefits to the community are also many. We take pride in our community. Our desire to improve our main traffic corridors reflects our positive feelings towards St. Charles. Working together the beauty of St. Charles will be enhanced and the community will remain a destination where people want to be.

These Design Guidelines should be used as the starting point for creative development that goes beyond simply meeting minimum City code requirements. The guidelines are not ordinances, so development proposals are not bound, at this point, to abide by them. It is expected that certain components of the guidelines will be written into the City zoning code in the future, but for now, they are “best practices” guidelines that developers of new projects will be asked and encouraged to follow.

Several grant programs are available through the Corridor Improvement Grant Program. All grant requests will be overseen and evaluated by the City’s Corridor Improvement Commission. Recipients must follow the principles outlined in the Design Guidelines.

For information on grant availability, contact the City of St. Charles Community Development Department at (630) 377-4443.

We wish you much success as you start to contemplate your improvement project!

Text written by DLK Architecture

Community Development Department
(630) 377-4443