The city of St. Charles is taking another crack at spurring development at the site of the former police station along the city-owned riverfront property.

The city has been looking to redevelop the site since the police moved into their new, $24.6 million station in 2019. In 2021, the City Council rejected four development proposals ranging from hotels, apartment complexes, restaurants and shopping centers.

Residents and City Council members scoffed at the large footprint of the projects and the height of the building proposals in the popular scenic walking area along the Fox River.

The former police station has remained vacant since the department moved out.

In October, a feasibility study presented to city officials focused on potential developments at the site located at 10 State Ave., also encompassing the east bank of the Fox River, and adjacent open spaces and parking lots, including the lot just north of the St. Charles Municipal Center.

The feasibility study by Chicago-based architecture firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz evaluated potential developments ranging from reusing the existing structure to new residential, commercial and mixed-use concepts, according to the city’s website.

To gauge the public’s interest, the City Council on Dec. 15 approved a contract with All Together, an Evanston-based firm specializing in public engagement for urban design projects, for a maximum fee of $34,800.

“This prime riverfront location presents a unique opportunity to create a development that enhances the community, activates the downtown, and reflects the values of St. Charles residents,” All Together said in city documents. “This downtown riverfront site represents one of St. Charles’ most significant development opportunities in recent years.”

All Together said the firm will engage with the community to gather input on the development scenarios through visuals, activities and an online survey. An open house is planned with interactive stations to gain more detailed feedback.

The firm is testing the water on seven development scenarios, including multifamily residential, townhomes, a hotel, a mixed-use concept, entertainment with food and beverage, programmed open space and adaptive reuse of the existing structure.

All Together will provide the city with detailed engagement summaries. During planning and development committee meeting Dec. 8, multiple city officials said they wanted to ensure that the firm can generate a sizable amount of public feedback.

Residents voiced their frustrations with the development proposals back in 2021, some of which included seven-story apartment complexes that some residents said went how the community envisions the future use of the area.

The site is located near the heavily used Pottawatomie Park recreation area.

On the other side of Main Street, the City Council recently approved the four-story, four-building luxury $1.9 million per unit duplexes, dubbed 504 Rowhomes.

Farther out – after significant public concern and skepticism from city officials – a city review was delayed involving plans for 83 individual homes in the $750,000-$850,000 price range on just 38 acres in the Red Gate Farm area. The proposal, dubbed Claibourne Farm, is next up for discussion in January.

As for the former police station site, St. Charles officials wrote in city documents that necessary infrastructure, financial perspectives, land usage and density will help identify feasible development options at the site surrounding the former police station.

The city will also study parking, traffic, site maintenance and potential revenue, according to city documents.

All Together’s engagement services will run through May 29.

“The community engagement process will ensure that whatever is built reflects the community’s vision and strengthens downtown’s vitality for decades to come,” All Together said in city documents.

The feasibility study and the public engagement process are not designed to recommend any scenario, the city says, but rather “provide a framework and visual examples illustrating how the site could be developed if the city and community determine a preferred direction.”