In the end, final plat approval for the debated luxury $1.9 million per unit River 504 Rowhomes in St. Charles came without any pomp.

No aldermen nor community members voiced their opinions before the divided 5-3 approval vote.

City council’s step at its Nov. 3 meeting continues the city’s decadelong trend of dramatically reshaping the town’s downtown area along the Fox River.

The four-building, four-story development served as a flashpoint, highlighting concerns several aldermen and community members share. Chief among those concerns was affordability of the units.

The rooftop terraced units will be located at the northeast corner of South First Street and Prairie Street. It will occupy the last remaining vacant lot of the Brownstone planned unit development on South First Street downtown.

As the plans have gone through the city approval process, skeptical aldermen also questioned the developer’s plans to remove several mature trees along the riverfront, the extreme closeness of the building to the street, and the removal of commercial units from the development.

Voting against the final plat were aldermen Ronald Silkatis, David Pietryla and Bryan Wirball. The confirming five approval votes came from Mark Foulkes, Jayme Muenz, Vicki Spellman, Ed Bessner and Steve Weber. Aldermen Ryan Bongard and Bob Gehm were not in attendance.

The eight-unit duplexes come from developers J & B Builders, Inc. of St. Charles. At a previous city meeting, representatives for the developers attempted to assuage affordability concerns.

“It is out of the price range for most individuals that inquire, but there’s a handful that have showed interest,” Brian Buoy said at a September planning and development committee meeting.

The developer’s “if you build it, they will come” strategy will need to attract buyers to prove successful.

The sticker price is sure to raise a few eyebrows.

The St. Charles’ median household income is between $102,000-$115,000.

The developers have indicated to the city they intend to pay a $14,687 fee instead of providing affordable units.

Over recent years, new property developments have driven an influx of buyers moving into the St. Charles area.

Concerns of affordability have been raised in past city meetings.

The eight-unit duplex development will have two-car garages and patios. The duplexes are designed to face First Street. Each unit is drawn up to a total of 6,226 square feet.

The development will cast an imposing footprint on the downtown’s landscape. Each building will stretch to 57 feet high and will expand to within just 3.5 feet of South First Street.

Construction is anticipated to begin on the north side of the site. The developers previously said they intend to begin construction on the first two units later this year.