For more than five years, the downtown site of the former police station in St. Charles has sat in a state of arrested development.

The riverfront building has prompted divisions between residents who want to secure the property for public use and event space, and private developers whose proposals have included luxury housing, a hotel, a restaurant and commercial uses there.

The city has since launched an extensive public engagement campaign to help residents better define the future of the riverfront and the city’s long-term identity.

The overwhelming response from an online survey with 738 participants and an in-person event with more than 100 residents is a strong desire for public usage and open space, according to city documents.

Participating residents showed significant opposition to residential and hotel uses, especially in the wake of the City Council approving $1.9 million-per-unit duplexes, dubbed 504 Rowhomes, on the other side of Main Street.

Derek Conley, the city’s economic development director, collected some statements from residents at the in-person meeting.

One resident said: “Land belongs to the people and should be preserved for all to use, not commercial.”

“No $1,000,000 townhomes. Hard no,” another resident said.

One person called the surge in upscale downtown townhomes and condos “unaffordable” and “exclusionary.”

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

Residents and City Council members at the time scoffed at the large footprint of the projects and the height of the proposed buildings along the popular scenic walking area along the Fox River located near the Pottawatomie Park recreation area.

Last 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 along with adjacent open spaces and parking lots, including the lot just north of the St. Charles Municipal Center.

Conley said the residents’ feedback will “help guide future discussions regarding potential uses and design considerations for the property.”

He said the voice of residents is clear.

“Residents view the site as a civic riverfront asset,” Conley said in city documents. “There is strong support for public ownership, programmed open space, and river-oriented uses, and significant resistance to any scenario involving the sale of land or loss of public access.”

He said the town envisions comparisons to the Batavia Boardwalk, the Naperville Riverwalk and the Geneva French Market.

Creative concepts include a bandshell to host community events, a farmers market staging area, a nature center, a botanical garden and an open green space for community organized activities and programming.

To make any of these options a reality, the city must expand parking solutions in the downtown area.

Regarding the former police building itself, some residents preferred preserving the 1970s wing while potentially tearing down the older eastern half, and others supported a full demolition and fresh start.

The city teamed up with All Together, an Evanston-based firm specializing in public engagement for urban design projects, for $34,800. The firm guided the first phase of the public engagement process and is leading the second phase.

Phase two includes a short online survey and a second in-person public event from 4 to 6 p.m. April 8 in the City Council Chambers.

Conley said residents at the event can explore “potential amenities and site features, evaluate priorities and tradeoffs, and share ideas about what they would like to see incorporated into the site and where those elements might be located.”