Downtown St. Charles could look and function very differently along Riverside Avenue if city officials move forward with a redesign that may trim parking, remove mature trees and reroute traffic between Illinois Avenue and Main Street. The city is now asking residents to weigh in before any final decisions are made, with public comments due November 18.
The effort, known as the Riverside Avenue for All: Complete Streets project, aims to overhaul the stretch of roadway in the heart of downtown, according to Shaw Local. St. Charles is seeking residents' feedback on ways to improve safety, aesthetics and pedestrian-friendliness along the corridor, the outlet reports. Mayor Clint Hull said the city aims to make the Riverside corridor pedestrian-friendly while maintaining vehicle access and existing parking, per the same report.
What's on the Table for Riverside Avenue
Several concepts are under consideration, including a raised intersection at Walnut Avenue meant to calm traffic and improve visibility, the report notes. Other options call for an east-west crosswalk across South Riverside Avenue and a widened sidewalk along the west side to improve pedestrian flow, according to the same account. Project options also include streetscaping, landscaping and nature-based infrastructure intended to enhance downtown aesthetics, the station's report states.
One option goes further, with a curb-less design that would extend the raised intersection, convert the corridor into a one-way street, add on-street biking infrastructure and a bump-out at Main Street — all while allowing more flexibility for festivals and special events downtown, per the same report. The options are also designed to prevent vehicles from parking too close to the Main Street intersection, where cars can obstruct visibility, the article notes.
Parking and Trees Could Take a Hit
Not every change comes without tradeoffs. Some project options include bump-outs near Main Street that would reduce the number of available parking spaces, with one plan cutting parking from 25 spaces down to 23, according to the Shaw Local report. A separate curb-less option would extend the raised intersection while adding one parking space back, the outlet notes.
The project options would also likely require removing existing corridor trees, as the city says the trees have outgrown their available space and are damaging adjacent hardscape, per the same account. City staff have described the Riverside corridor as a key connector for people walking, biking and driving, supporting local businesses, restaurants and cultural attractions, according to the City of St. Charles.
Where the Corridor Sits and What Comes Next
The Riverside corridor runs near the Arcada Theatre and sits across Main Street from the St. Charles Municipal Center, extending past Flagship on the Fox, per the Shaw Local report. The city held a public meeting on the project options on October 20 and is aiming to finalize the project design by December, the outlet reports.
St. Charles isn't the only Fox Valley community rethinking pedestrian crossings this year. The city's 2023 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan previously identified the intersection of the Fox River Trail and Illinois Street, west of the river, as a high-priority spot for improvement, according to the City of St. Charles. Residents who want to weigh in on the Riverside Avenue plans can submit comments to Chris Gottlieb, the city's public works engineering division manager, at [email protected] through November 18.
