Proposed downtown St. Charles townhomes could go for $1.9M each, developer says

A proposed housing development in downtown St. Charles moved closer to approval this month after a positive recommendation from the city’s Plan Commission.

St. Charles developer J&B Builders Inc. plans to build River 504 Townhomes, an eight-unit duplex development, at the northeast corner of South First and Prairie streets.

Three residents spoke during the public hearing, mainly voicing concerns over architectural and landscaping aspects of the development plans, but each was supportive of the overall concept.

St. Charles resident Tim Judge advocated for additional landscaping and increasing the setback from First Street.

“The 3-foot setback request is very minimal and really reduces that space significantly,” Judge said. “Three foot [setbacks] is barely a neighborhood feel.”

Commission member Rita Payleitner, who was appointed to the commission on Monday, expressed her disappointment with the transition from mixed use to residential and her excitement for the additional parking the development would bring.

“I’m a little heartbroken that it won’t be a retail spot,” Payleitner said. “I think we need more to drive people downtown than bars and restaurants and maybe a handful of retail spots. I think it would be nice to have that.”

The project would construct four four-story buildings on the last remaining vacant lot on South First Street downtown.

As proposed, the duplexes would face First Street and have two-car garages in the rear, accessible via private driveways from Limestone Drive. Each unit would be 6,226 total square feet with patios and rooftop terraces.

River 504 would be the final development of the Brownstone PUD, approved in 2001, which includes the adjacent Brownstone townhomes along the riverfront and the mixed-use Milestone Row building along South First Street, just north of the subject property.

Developers are seeking approval to rezone the property to residential, increase the building height limit from 49 feet to 57 feet and reduce the setback along South First Street from 5 feet to just under 3.5 feet.

Applicant Julie Salyers, on behalf of J&B Builders, submitted a special use application and engineering plans in March and presented the proposal to commission members during a public hearing Aug. 19, along with J&B treasurer Brian Bouy.

Applicants said they are looking at a price point of $1.9 million for each unit and they intend to pay $14,687 in lieu of providing affordable units.

The development plans are similar to a proposal from the same developer last fall. Changes from last year’s plans included moving the patios from the front to the rear and increasing the height and size of the buildings.

Plans would add 16 diagonal public parking spaces along the front of the buildings on the east side of South First Street.

Developers will also be responsible for connecting the Prairie Street sidewalk to the riverwalk.

Commission Chair Peter Vargulich suggested that three parking spaces be removed and replaced with landscaping islands with additional trees.

“I think that would work well with the site and would balance what you’ve done in the back,” Vargulich said.

Other commission members felt that three parking spaces was too many to remove, and agreed on removing two of the parking spaces to allow for additional trees in the front of the building, slightly increasing the setback and changing the color of the roofs.

Commission members recommended approval of the special use permit and development plans in an unanimous vote, with the condition that two parking spaces be removed and replaced with trees. Payleitner abstained from the vote.

With a positive recommendation from the Plan Commission, the proposal will be considered next by the Planning & Development Committee at their Sept. 8 meeting, followed by a final City Council vote.the