Downtown Riverfront Property
Review the Downtown Site Feasibility Study here.(PDF, 12MB)
Click here to be directed to the online survey.
Background
The former Police Department facility located downtown along the east riverfront, north of the Municipal Building, brings an opportunity for reuse and redevelopment. Its reuse has been under consideration since the Police Department moved from the site to a new station in 2019. A brief timeline of the process is below:
In 2021, the City submitted a Request for Concepts for interested developers to submit proposals for use of the former police station site. After careful review several presentations and discussions, the City Council voted to reject all four proposals received and gave staff direction to hire a firm to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate potential reuses for the site.
In 2023, the City issued a Request for Proposals seeking a qualified firm to conduct a feasibility study and Solomon Cordwell Buenz was selected.
Feasibility Study
The scope of the feasibility study is limited to a technical analysis of the site and includes environmental assessment, geotechnical analysis, floodplain mitigation analysis, utility analysis, demolition costs, traffic study, and parking analysis.
The feasibility study includes a detailed analysis of the site and clearly defines various constraints, both above grade and below grade.
Based on the site constraints, the consultant developed a series of potential development scenarios. These range from adaptive reuse of the existing structure to new residential, commercial, and mixed-use concepts. The study then evaluates each scenarios against several criteria: financial feasibility, density and use intensity, site activation, parking, traffic, site maintenance, and potential revenue. This assessment provides a framework for weighing the trade-offs of each option to better understand potential impacts. The study does not recommend any scenario, but provides a framework and visual examples illustrating how the site could be developed if the City and community determine a preferred direction.
Staff presented the feasibility study to the Planning & Development Committee members on October 13, 2025. A recording of the meeting can be viewed here.
Next Steps: Public Engagement
In December 2025, the City contracted with consultant firm All Together to lead the public engagement campaign for the downtown riverfront property site. Through May 2026, the City and All Together will be leading a community engagement process that will focus on scenarios identified in the feasibility study, gathering input from residents, local business owners, and City officials using a two-step approach. The initial phase includes two opportunities to provide feedback:
Open House Event
Join us for a community open house on Thursday, February 19 from 4:00–6:00 PM at St. Charles City Hall, Council Chambers. This is a drop-in event—come anytime that works for your schedule.
You'll be able to view displays of different development scenarios (residential, mixed-use, commercial, open space, and more), participate in hands-on activities to rank your priorities, ask questions, and discuss ideas with City staff and planning consultants. This is also a great opportunity to connect with neighbors and talk through what this prominent site could become for our community.
Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP to the open house and share with your friends and neighbors. Parking is available at City Hall!
Online Survey
Can't make it to the open house? We encourage attending in person for the full experience and detailed discussions, but you can also provide feedback through our online survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/StCharlesCommunitySurvey.
The survey will remain open until Feb. 22.
The second phase of the engagement process will involve collecting more detailed feedback on the preferred scenarios in an open house style setting with the overall goal of building community consensus around a preferred direction for the site.
Questions about the project? Please contact Derek Conley, Economic Development Director, at dconley@stcharlesil.gov.