Council Approves Plan for Streets of St. Charles
Plans for the Streets of St. Charles mixed-use development have undergone numerous changes since the city five years ago rezoned the land at the southeast corner of South Fifth Street and Interstate 70.
The City Council on Tuesday approved an amended regulating plan calling for more commercial square footage, less residential space and fewer buildings than what was proposed when the development was called the Plaza at Noah’s Ark.
Cullinan Properties Ltd., which took control of the property in 2007, plans the development on a 27.59-acre site formerly occupied by the since-demolished Noah’s Ark restaurant and hotel.
An earlier plan called for 27 buildings ranging from one to 18 stories and set aside 374,200 square feet for commercial space and 759,600 for residential units.
Under the current plan, commercial square footage will range from 561,575 to 1,147,275. Residential square footage can be from 505,000 to 602,000, with an average unit size of 971 square feet.
Following a public hearing June 27, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission recommended Cullinan provide a range of square footage for the residential portion of the project and a parking space range based on those numbers.
Robert Wetherald, Cullinan’s vice president for development, told the commission that given the nature of the development, the flexibility built into the amended plan would ensure the developer would not have to go to the Planning and Zoning Commission dozens of times for approval of changes.
The council on Tuesday voted 8-0 in favor of the amended plan. Council members Laurie Feldman, Ward 3, and Dave Beckering, Ward 7, were absent.