Retail space in the city can reasonably grow by another 800,000 square feet over the next five years without straining its economic vitality, according to a Chicago marketing consultant.
That figure translates into another 80 acres of shops in a city that has become over the last few years the retail mecca of central Kane County.
“The question now becomes, do we approve the rezoning application presently before us, or do we wait for one of the parcels already zoned for commercial to come in with a specific project,” said Robert Hupp, St. Charles director of planning and development.
The city hired consultant John Melaniphy to study the question of how much retail development could be absorbed in what planners call the East Gateway, the area around Kirk Road and Illinois Highway 64.
What prompted that question was an application to build a Jewel/Target shopping center on the southwest corner of the intersection, which has been on hold ever since.
Some officials feel the 120 vacant acres in the East Gateway now zoned for office and industrial use should be rezoned to allow for active commercial establishments.
Other city officials feel the land should be left to develop under the present zoning to guard against congestion and pressure on existing stores.
The City Council’s Development Committee and the city Plan Commission have scheduled a joint meeting March 1 to discuss the consultant’s findings and how it relates to the proposed Jewel/Target project.
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