ST. CHARLES – With hundreds of rental units under development, St. Charles municipal officials expect to see an increase in future rental development proposals as space in the city dwindles – and that’s not such a bad thing, Mayor Lora Vitek said.

There are almost 1,000 planned rental units currently under development in St. Charles, compared with 233 owner-occupied dwellings with a similar rental-to-owner ratio of development in planning.

St. Charles Director of Community Development Russel Colby, who has been with the city for 15 years, said residential development likely will continue on the current trend of increasing multi-family housing developments.

Colby said multi-family rental units have been leasing rapidly, and while there is still a high demand for single-family homes, neighborhood developers are running out of available space in St. Charles.

Vitek said the city needs more people and increasing the population density will help grow the economy.

“As we continue to build density, it makes new businesses want to come here and helps current business to thrive,” Vitek said. “We need to be strategic in the placement of that density, but we need it to continue to grow.”

Colby said developers looking to build in St. Charles are limited by the types of properties available and how little space is fit for redevelopment. Because of this, he said, multi-family residential housing has been in high demand as developers have found it better fits the available sites.

“The past few years, we’ve definitely seen more interest in rental developments of different types,” Colby said. “Both within the downtown and elsewhere in the community, where additional housing has been in demand.”

Colby said there still is space that could be developed on the city’s west side, along Route 38 west of Meijer and near the fairgrounds, as well as on the north side of town near Route 31.

“St. Charles has always had a mix of different housing types and price points,” Colby said. “There has always been a pretty good balance.”

Vitek said St. Charles development is guided by the recently developed strategic plan and the housing commission, which work toward maintaining a good mix of housing.

“You have people here that have lived here forever and want to stay and young people building a future,” Vitek said. “We need to be attractive to all those populations if we want to continue to grow and bring in new business.”

Vitek said residents she has talked to have mixed opinions on multi-family developments that vary based on where it is located. While she doesn’t think the majority of residents want apartment complexes along the river, there is an interest in increased density near the former Charlestowne Mall, Vitek said.

With the former mall in a robust industrial section of town and little surrounding residential development to support it, Vitek said it is a good place for apartments as the industrial workers need housing.

Vitek said there are a lot of people looking for a different style of living in St. Charles.

Vitek said there is a wide-ranging demographic for renters in St. Charles, including people downsizing, older residents who don’t want a lot to maintain, young professionals and single parents who don’t need a lot of space.

Vitek experienced the demand for rental housing firsthand a few years ago, she said. When she looked to rent while shopping for a home in St. Charles, she was waitlisted for several apartments to no avail.

St. Charles is an attractive community to developers both because of its growth and because of its charm, Vitek said. The river, the development, the people and the surrounding communities all contribute to the beauty and charm of the city, the mayor said.

Vitek said the city has a reputation with developers for being easy to work with and credited city staff members for their openness to listen and communicate with developers and residents.

“I feel fortunate to be here. I feel like we have so much going on here and people want to live here,” Vitek said. “I want people to continue to want to live here, so I think for us it’s making sure there’s that residential development and things are happening.”

According to RentCafe, the majority of apartments in St. Charles rent between $1,500 and $2,000 and the average rent is just more than $1,800 a month. Vitek said affordable rentals are something the city wants to bring in and the housing commission works toward.

“We as a City Council have to figure out how to make that work for the developer,” Vitek said. “No one is going to develop something that they’re going to lose money on. We have opportunities with the housing commission fund that is potentially available to support that.”

The housing commission fund is intended to be used as incentive for developers to bring in affordable housing. Affordable senior housing already is in planning at the Prairie Center development. The 75-unit residence will be known as Anthony Place.

In Planning:

River East Lofts

• Type: Multi-family apartment development
• Specifications: Four-story building with 42 units as well as commercial space and parking on ground floor
• Location: Southeast corner of Illinois and Riverside avenues, downtown
• Status: Received zoning approval. Expecting permitting to be submitted this year.
• Developer: Frontier Development Group

River 504

• Type: Mixed use condominium development
• Specifications: Four-story building with 20 condo units, a rooftop penthouse level and commercial space and parking on the ground floor
• Location: First and Prairie streets, south of downtown
• Status: Zoning applications have been filed and are expected to be reviewed by the planning commission this summer.
• Developer: J&B Builders, Inc.

Indiana Place Apartments

• Type: Multi-family apartment development
• Specifications: Existing two-story building to be renovated into 15 apartments units with plans to add more
• Location: Former Lamp Factory at 13th and Indiana streets
• Status: Permits for conversion to residential are being reviewed, with a PUD application for expansion expected to be submitted this summer.
• Developer: Midwest Custom Homes

In Progress:

Springs at St. Charles

• Type: Apartment development
• Specifications: 320 units in 16 2-story buildings
• Location: North of Smith Road behind the former Charlestowne Mall
• Status: Under construction, with construction expected to continue into 2024
• Developer: Continental Properties

Charlestowne Lakes

• Type: Townhome and duplex development
• Specifications: 62 duplex units and 105 townhome units
• Location: South of Foxfield Drive behind the former Charlestowne Mall
• Status: Currently laying site work for construction to begin this fall and continue through next year
• Developer: D.R. Horton

Prairie Centre

• Type: Mixed use apartment development
• Specifications: 670 units, including 75 affordable senior rental units (Anthony Place) in at least 15 structures with mixed use buildings fronting Route 38
• Location: North of Route 38 and east of Randall Road
• Status: Started in 2018 with five buildings complete and three currently under construction (about 300 of 670 units complete); officials expect another two years of construction.
• Developer: Shodeen Group

Brooke Toria Estates

• Type: Single-family home development
• Specifications: 16 units
• Location: South side of Smith Road at Pheasant Trail, north of Charlestowne Mall
• Status: Permits have been issued for all lots and construction is expected to be complete this year.
• Developer: VMR Remodeling Inc.

Munhall Glen

• Type: Single-family home development
• Specifications: 50 units
• Location: South of Tyler Road at Munhall Avenue on the east side
• Status: Currently under construction and expected to continue through this year and into 2024.
• Developer: Airhart Construction

Reserve of St. Charles

• Type: Single-family home development
• Specifications: 133 units
• Location: West side of Route 31 between Silver Glen and Red Gate Roads on the north side
• Status: Started in early 2000s and currently is completing the final units
• Developer: Meritus Homes