Will Charlestowne Mall Be Sold Again?
New investors have been looking at the property, a spokesman said.
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A group of California investors who purchased Charlestowne Mall for $9.5 million in 2010 are entertaining potential buyers for the facility, although the mall is not officially on the market, the Kane County Chronicle reported Saturday.
A spokesman told the Chronicle that the owners have been approached by “multiple investor groups” that have shown interest in the property, which has languished in the years since it opened in 1991.
The decline has some wondering whether or not the mall should be torn down. That was at least one option residents were asked to consider during an August 2012 “visioning” session that was part of the process for drafting the city’s 2013 Comprehensive Plan, which is under review by the St. Charles Plan Commission. During the August session, residents were asked to consider several scenarios for the future of the site, from retrofitting or remodeling the facility to tearing it down completely and developing something new there.
Despite some of the skepticism about the mall’s future, City Administrator Brian Townsend wrote in his St. Charles Patch blog on the same day that meeting was held that at least one study indicates the mall has potential.
Theresa
6:33 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013
I am a St Charles Citizen we need to vitalize The Charlstown Mall by using the main floor as family oriented outlets such a box stores and family friendly stores everything on that floor 2nd floor elite boutiques with a few easy shops .. you then have everyone covered... and the mall flourishes
M.
8:09 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013
There are expensive homes in the area- indicating there is money and potential shoppers. Put in a Saks Fifth Ave, speciality food shops, put in a couple of good restaurants, a Sephora, etc. There is major potential- the space is just not promoted or utilized to it's full potential!!!
Kathy
10:01 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
I totally agree with M. That's a great idea. I don't want to see the mall go. We need a mall in St. Charles and the stores are already there.
Ken Wallace
9:30 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Taxes, taxes, taxes! Without tax relief no group of owners will be able to offer the rents that will enable the tenant stores to make money and endure. Until the city gets serious about tax relief and works with the county and state governments to reduce the real estate tax burden, this mall is doomed. That said, if the people of St. Charles want the mall, they must show it, not just by their vocal contribution, but by their support of the stores. You cannot go shopping in Geneva and then complain about losing your mall!
Eric F
11:18 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Level the entire thing and replace it with a real movie theater.
Lois Lane
11:52 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
As I have commented in previous articles on the Charlestown Mall, the owners should contact the Yorktown Mall and find out how they turned that around. For a number of years Yorktown was a scary, dirty, dump and look at it now, it's booming!
MamaS
2:30 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Thank you Lois Lane... My thoughts exactly.. St. Charles can support the mall. It needs the right mix of shops and restaurants. Yorktown and The Streets of Woodfield were brought back to glory... Certainly the same can be done at Charlestowne. I'm tired of driving to Stratford, Fox Valley or Woodfield.
Lois Lane
3:50 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
One of the major issues I see right off the bat is that the mall itself on the outside is so dang ugly! That yellow brick should be banned from use ANYWHERE!! And the fading green roof, what a bad color selection. If there's way to make the outside more attractive that should be step #1. First impressions are everything.
Francis Glass
4:23 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Maybe if they could add some nice looking signs to the outside building to let you know what's inside -- or perhaps it's possible to add more outdoor entrances into individual stores? Anything to make it look more appealing and give you an idea of what's going on inside.
Lois Lane
4:59 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Separate entrances is an excellent idea, Francis! It would make it so much easier for those quick stops. That way you don't have to trudge through the whole place lugging all your packages with you.
Make the building more attractive and make it easier to navigate. These are 2 super ways to begin to attract merchants, large and small.
David Amundson
1:11 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Read through this: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2010/06/with-a-central-dome-that-resembled-a-flying-saucer-the-three-legged-mall-that-opened-in-northwest-suburban-mount-prospect-in.html and then this: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2011/01/retrofitting-suburbia-chapter-two-a-randhurst-update.html and then this: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2010/06/a-mixed-track-record-mall-makeovers-produce-different-results-in-schaumburg-and-park-forest-.html
There is hope, but there are no guarantees.
randy
9:14 pm on Saturday, March 9, 2013
Maybe all the residents of St Charles can open there dream businesses. City employees can take pension cuts, property tax cuts are in order,then give back money to main street businessmen, that is how you attract businessmen. Signed Big Businessman from west burbs, 99% of you don't have a clue, I do, I have had 250 employees and 75,000,000.00 in Sales. Put your money where your big mouths are!!!