Redevelopment of the long-shuttered St. Charles Mall moved a step forward Tuesday night when the city’s Plan Commission voted unanimously to recommend the 26-acre site be converted to an auto mall, pending certain conditions.
Commission Chairman Mark Armstrong said issues involving traffic, land covenants, access, signage, parking and zoning to allow auto sales mostly cleared the hurdles at the property that CVP Partners, a local development firm, sees as home to several auto dealerships.
Covenants on the privately owned property have long impeded development of the 1.1 million-square-foot parcel east of Randall Road near Illinois Highway 38. The issue “appears to be solved amicably by the private-property owners,” Armstrong said.
Tom Anderson, owner of Colonial Cafe, a 180-seat restaurant on the site, said he is not pleased that he will lose parking space. The restaurant requires at least 100 spaces for breakfast, special events and Kane County Fairground’s weekend business, he said.
Under city ordinance, Colonial is required to maintain 62 spaces and will be given 13 more in the Plan Commission’s recommendation.
Armstrong said the auto mall plan would be reviewed March 11 by the city’s Plan & Development Committee, then, if approved, forwarded to the City Council for final approval.
