🏬 Let’s talk about Charlestowne Mall

Earlier this month, we mentioned that a development group was in discussions to purchase and renovate the Charlestowne Mall property on the east side of St. Charles.

According to the city’s website, the property is under contract to be acquired by real estate company Urban Street Group.

The group has not released a concept plan yet, but if you haven’t checked out the previous concept plan from the fall of 2021 (different firm), it’s worth a look. Just to get a sense of what’s possible and how these developers might be thinking.

That concept envisioned 560 residential units, a 135-room hotel and 40K square feet of combined retail and restaurant space to serve as an “integrated community hub.”

It would have included the demolition of all structures except for Classic Cinemas and Von Maur (plus the Coopers Hawk restaurant and Starbucks/Verizon stores on the outer lots).

Looking ahead, Urban Street Group — the development firm looking to acquire the property — is no stranger to ambitious mixed-use projects. They’re currently progressing on Veridian, a massive overhaul of the former 225-acre Motorola campus in Schaumburg.

The scope of that one is somewhat mind-boggling. When completed, it’s expected to include everything from hotels and entertainment centers to restaurants, parks and corporate headquarters.

With Veridian, the stated goal is to create a dense, urban-feeling community in a suburban landscape with amenities for shopping, dining, living and working — plus pedestrian-friendly infrastructure like bike paths, plazas and outdoor gathering spaces. A true “one-stop shop” community.

Among other things, you can already find Topgolf, high-end townhouses, apartment buildings and the eight-story global headquarters of The Boler Co. on the property.

That’s not to say the plan for the Charlestowne Mall property will necessarily look similar to this — but it’s certainly food for thought.

More links

• Here’s an update from the Daily Herald about the latest phase of construction on the Veridian project.

• Go on a Facebook photo tour of Charlestown Mall from a few years ago (kinda sad for a nostalgic 90s kid like me).

📰 News to use

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☑️ Forthcoming construction: The City of Batavia Prairie and Wilson Street Intersection Improvements Project begins on March 4. Here’s everything you need to know.

🔒 Underwhelming turnout: Only four primary candidates showed up to Tuesday’s public forum in Batavia, which meant the candidates who were present received just three minutes to state their case.

☑️ Right to die: Legislators recently introduced a bill that would make Illinois the 11th state to allow doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients.

☑️ New workforce program: A partnership between IMEC and Kane County aims to equip local manufacturers with the tools, resources and expertise needed to thrive in today’s market.

☑️ Route 31 underpass: Geneva released more detailed information about the upcoming March 4 road shutdown.

🏘️ In the community

☑️ Corporate development: If you’d like to voice an opinion about the Bullock Campus project located at Kirk and Division in Geneva, the city is holding a public hearing on Monday evening.

☑️ Public power program: St. Charles and the Illinois Municipal Utilities Association (IMUA) are offering four $1K scholarships to eligible high school students with an application deadline of March 8.

☑️ Black History Month: As the only African American on the Kane County Board, Ron Ford brings a unique perspective to local government — one he articulates well in this letter.

☑️ Coming full circle: Michael Wall — a past student of Louise White Elementary School in Batavia — has been selected as its next principal.

🔒 Music collab: Local professional choir group St. Charles Singers is teaming up with singers from Geneva, St. Charles and other area high schools to put on two special concerts this weekend.

🔒 Local girls’ hoops: In Tuesday’s semifinals, Geneva beat STC North on a buzzer-beater while Batavia took care of business against STC East. The Bulldogs host the Vikings for the sectional championship tonight.

🔒 Local boys’ hoops: Although Geneva and both STC schools lost in the regional semifinals yesterday, Batavia bested Proviso West for a chance to face Proviso East (shout out to Dee Brown) tomorrow night at home in the regional finals.

🎸 Live music 

A couple of the 40+ live music performances lined up for this weekend deserve a special note:

• Emmy-nominated Kristin Rose Kelly performs at Riverlands Brewing tonight at 6PM.

• Both Friday performances at Pollyanna Brewing are part of the Ignite the Courage comedy event referenced in Monday’s edition.

🏬 Local biz

☑️ Bagel fans rejoice: Local favorite Bad Guy Bagels will be celebrating the grand opening of its new brick-and-mortar shop at 501 E State St. in Geneva tomorrow.

☑️ Last call: This Sunday will mark the end of the road for The Beer Cellar Geneva, which will close its doors after about four years on State Street. Their Glen Ellyn location will remain open.

☑️ FYZICAL Geneva: As of Tuesday, the newest FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers Clinic is now open and accepting patients on Kaneville Road across from Delnor Hospital.

🗓️ Events + things to do

🎟️ Love Letters | Friday to March 3, various times | Steel Beam Theatre, STC | Experience one of the most heartwarming plays in modern theatre with an award-winning cast.

☑️ Chicago Polaris Grand Opening Celebration | Saturday, 12-5PM | Welcome the newest addition to the Windy City Motorcycle Company — Polaris Off-Road in St. Charles — with test rides, giveaways, prizes and more.

🎟️ UUSG Variety Show | Saturday, 7PM | Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva | Enjoy a fun-filled evening showcasing the talents of the UUSG congregation and friends.

🎟️ Wine, Cheese & Trees Fundraiser | Saturday, 7PM | Geneva Public Library | An enjoyable evening out while helping raise money to replant native trees across Geneva.

☑️ Geneva Wedding Walk | Sunday, 10AM-4PM | Make wedding planning fun by strolling through town and connecting with vendors, florists, photographers, bakeries, hair/makeup, venues and more.

🗞️ From the archives: 1962

Historic Batavia buildings

The above gem appears on page six of the Feb. 22, 1962 issue of the Batavia Herald newspaper (which was available for a hefty seven cents per copy).

To summarize for those who’d rather not squint:

• The beautiful First Methodist Church on Batavia Avenue is in fact a replica of a church that was originally built at First and South Washington Streets — financed and donated by Capt. DC Newton to the congregation in 1887.

• Built in 1853, Bellevue Place originally served as a school before being converted into a mental patient asylum. It’s perhaps best known for housing Mary Todd Lincoln after her famous husband was assassinated.

🌖 Weather snapshot

🌤️ Today: High 59F | Low 32F | A little precip possible

⛅ Friday: High 42F | Low 19F | Getting nippy again

🌤️ Saturday: High 36F | Low 29F | Sunny + brisk

🌤️ Sunday: High 55F | Low 32F | Early spring returns

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