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Downtown
St. Charles is nestled along both banks of the Fox River, in a
growing community 35 miles west of downtown Chicago. The community
had already accomplished most of what small communities desire for
their downtown: streetscape enhancements along Main Street,
renovated storefronts and active businesses, restoration of a
major National Register property (The Hotel Baker), popular
downtown events, and even the creation of a free public parking
ramp. Recognizing that to rest would mean stagnation, community
leaders and downtown advocates questioned where their priorities
for downtown should be directed.
The
strategy for downtown St. Charles focused on several key areas.
First, the plan encouraged intensification of land use and
activity within a compact area bounded by parks and hillside
neighborhoods with a focus on the Fox River. Corridors for
development and redevelopment activity were framed based on the
susceptibility to change for properties in downtown. Areas of
commercial activity focus were defined within that boundary, with
zones noted for more intense residential development. Public
surface parking lots would be eliminated in favor of additional
parking structures, and the lots would be replaced with new
development or downtown public spaces.
Attention
was directed to the ways in which people experience downtown, with
a particular emphasis on pedestrians. Gateways were highlighted
with focal features and new development. Public art, virtually
non-existent in the downtown, was integrated into the fabric of
downtown in ways that would tell a story about the St. Charles
community.
Business
development, marketing and image enhancement strategies would
capitalize on the growing, prosperous consumer market. Cooperative
advertising and various downtown management strategies would
enhance efforts to capture targeted market segments and market the
complete downtown experience – promoting downtown St. Charles
as, “The Great American Downtown!”
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