River East Lofts

Project Background:

River East Lofts is a planned mixed-use building at the southeast corner of Illinois & Riverside Aves. The project was approved by City Council on October 3, 2022.

The site is currently a parking lot with bank ATM and an office building (former location of the Chamber of Commerce). The planned building would be 4 story, with retail space and parking on the first floor and upper floor residential apartments- 42 total residential units. The owner/developer is STC 216, LLC (Frontier Development).

The approved zoning applications include:

• Special Use for PUD: A PUD ordinance with zoning use and standards to accommodate the project.
• PUD Preliminary Plan: Plans depicting physical development of the property, including site, engineering, and landscape plans. 

A previous version of the project was reviewed in March-April 2022.

Public Meetings:

Historic Preservation Commission- July 6, 2022

For properties located within the Historic District, the Historic Preservation reviews zoning applications and provides a recommendation to the Plan Commission. The Historic Preservation Commission’s recommendation is to address the potential impact of the application on the historic resources of the City and the Historic District. Historic Preservation Commission recommended approval of the project.

Plan Commission- Public Hearing- July 19, 2022

Plan Commission held a public hearing regarding the zoning applications and provided a recommendation for approval, which was forwarded to the Planning & Development Committee of the City Council.

Planning & Development Commitee- August 22, 2022

Planning & Development Committee reviewed the project and recommended, with a majority vote, that the PUD be forwarded to City Council for consideration.

City Council- September 6, 2022

City Council considered an ordinance to vacate street right-of-way for the project, which requires the affirmative vote of 8 alderpersons. The right-of-way vacation ordinance did not pass, therefore the PUD ordinance was not considered.

City Council - October 3, 2022

The proposed right-of-way vacation was reduced, and the ordinance to vacate street right-of-way was passed. The City Council also approved the PUD ordinance with plans showing the reduced right-of-way vacation.

Meeting Information on past project reviews:

Previous version of the PUD- March-April 2022

• Historic Preservation Commission review - March 16, 2022
• Plan Commission public hearing- March 22, 2022 and  April 19, 2022
• This version of the plan was not presented to Planning & Development Committee or City Council.

Concept Plan- July-August 2021:

The Concept Plan review process enables developers to obtain informal feedback from City officials and the public.  The conclusion of the Concept Plan review is not a decision by the City, but simply information that the developer can use to decide whether to pursue the project further. A Concept Plan for the project was reviewed in Summer 2021. Meeting information from the Concept Plan review can be reviewed here:

• Historic Preservation Commission: July 7, 2021
• Plan Commission: July 20, 2021
• Planning & Development Commitee: August 16, 2021. 

For more information, contact the Community and Economic Development Department at (630) 377-4443 or cd@stcharlesil.gov.