Expected growth spurt to boost O’Fallon’s economy this year

The O’Fallon landscape will continue to change during the coming year, and the economic impact may be one of the most significant growth spurts in the city’s history.

During a recent Town Hall meeting, O’Fallon Mayor Herb Roach updated some plans that have been in the works during the past year or two, with progress set for 2020.

Among new or proposed developments are the Mid America Commerce Center, the area near the McKendree Rec Plex and Scott-Troy Road, the new Cambridge Boulevard business district and Southview Plaza.

This information was also supplied to the aldermen, as each year the staff prepares a report on economic development initiatives, he said.

“Over the past few years, we have had so much positive development, it seems like everywhere you go in O’Fallon there is construction,” Roach said.

The mayor stressed two key selling points for the city are its acclaimed school system and its public safety department, for O’Fallon is ranked among the top 5 percent in safest places to live in Illinois.

“This is a real plus for us,” he said.

Roach said businesses are attracted to O’Fallon because they know they will have an educated workforce.

“They know they will be able to hire good people,” he said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, all of Southern Illinois’ biggest cities dropped in population from 2017 to 2018 except for O’Fallon, which is at 29,584. The population data showed the city grew by 100.

The city not only continues to gain residents as the fastest-growing community in Southern Illinois, but also new businesses. Between April and November 2019, 30 new businesses opened in O’Fallon, according to city records.

Roach said 125 new single-family homes were built last year. For the first time in the past 10 years, the city saw three consecutive years of building permit growth, with 475 issued last year.

Roach said that 18 new commercial projects will result in 35 more commercial buildings in the city.

The city’s branding strategy — “Build it here” — was developed for its new marketing website, www.ofallonillinois.org. The site has a section, “Success Stories,” and a recently released video that was made in partnership with Shiloh and O’Fallon-Shiloh Chamber of Commerce: https://www.ofallonillinois.org/success-story/why-should-you-build-it-here/.

“Shiloh Mayor Jim Vernier has been great to work with,” Roach said.

Roach said the next Town Hall meeting will take place April 15 and will present information on the city’s marketing efforts.

Mid America Commerce Center

Roach said ground should be broken on the first building of Mid America Commerce Center in April, with completion likely near the end of the year, possibly November.

He said the city is working on running a sewer line out there, and water service has already been completed. Tristar Property, which developed the distribution park Gateway Commerce Center in Pontoon Beach and Edwardsville, will develop more than 200 acres north of Interstate 64, on the northwest corner of Rieder Road (Exit 21) and Shiloh Valley Township Road.

It is east of Illinois 158 and across from Scott Air Force Base and Mid-America Airport.

First will be a 166.59-acre light industrial warehouse development, with the remaining 34 acres to be zoned and developed later. The development includes eight proposed lots, ranging from 15.54 acres to 26.33 acres. The warehouses range in size from 190,000 square feet (4.36 acres) to 323,750 square feet (7.43 acres).

The site includes public streets providing a loop through the development off Shiloh Valley Township Road, with the potential for a future connection to Rieder Road.

The city approved an annexation agreement nearly a year ago, rezoning it from agricultural industry (St. Clair County) to planned industrial district. Office buildings are expected as well as warehouses.

O’Fallon and neighboring communities are expected to benefit from job creation and tax dollars.

Previously, the mayor said this area could create a reliable non-residential tax base, which is good news to homeowners in O’Fallon.

“We have worked with our school districts and other taxing bodies to help create opportunities in the area that will help build long-term success for the O’Fallon area,” Roach said.

The Shops at Richland Creek

There still is no word on what companies will locate at The Shops at Richland Creek, but retail shops and restaurants are expected to open in the 17.23-acre mixed use development, which is located behind Jimmy John’s on the southwest corner of Green Mount Road and Central Park Drive, and extends south to include frontage on Frank Scott Parkway.

The initial phase includes three building, totaling 17,800 square feet of retail and restaurant development on one lot. The remaining seven lots would be for various other retail, hospitality and service-type uses.

Southview Plaza

While the western portion of Southview Plaza has been demolished, the other phase is expected to be completed in May, Roach said.

But other than that, no plans have been announced for development yet.

“No, we don’t know who or what will go in there, or even if the current owner (Dover Frontier) will develop it. But we have two, three other groups interested,” Roach said.

The clean up to re-use the property — environmental remediation — must be done to make it development-ready.

Papa John’s Pizza, which was in the second portion, will relocate. Many businesses had already left, including Dollar General, which moved in March 2018.

Originally built in 1959, the shopping center’s heyday was during the 1960s through 1980s but began to decline in the 1990s. It had been home to Keck’s Tomboy grocery store, Ben Franklin, Dollar General, several Hallmark shops, Bollmeier Hobby Shop, Movie Mania video rental, World Martial Arts and a few chain stores, now defunct in the U.S., including P.N. Hirsch department store and Western Auto.

Mom-and-pop restaurants like Keg Crate and Barrel, Schiappa’s and House of Hunan, plus clothing stores, beauty and barber shops, dry cleaners, hardware stores and gift shops, were tenants during its 59-year history. St. Clair Travel, insurance agencies and other businesses also operated there, at the corner of Lincoln and U.S. 50.

U.S. 50/Scott-Troy Road

Aberdeen Village, a development of 200 townhomes and five commercial lots on the site of an old trailer park, is part of the plan for a thriving residential and commercial corner near the McKendree University Metro RecPlex.

The former Rock Springs Mobile Home Park, which had been located behind the Moto Mart on the northeast corner of Scott-Troy Road and Illinois 158 and East U.S. 50, has been rezoned for mixed-use development on 21.22 acres.

Aberdeen Village will be all two-bedroom town homes. Construction on the clubhouse is expected to be first.

The O’Fallon Planning Commission has received the first application for a commercial development there, a new CC Food Mart with a 5,925 square foot convenience store with an attached car wash and the installation of 16 fuel pumps.

Cambridge Boulevard Center

Roach said work will begin in either February or March at the former O’Fallon Lumber and Material Company grounds, and should progress quickly from there.

The $6.6 million development on three acres at 531 W. U.S. 50 includes two small commercial strip centers and the Hi-Pointe Drive-In as a stand-alone drive-thru restaurant. The multi-tenant commercial development totals 16,600 square feet of retail space.

This will be the Hi-Pointe Drive In’s first metro-east location. It has two in St. Louis — the original location at 1033 McCausland and downtown at 634 Washington Ave. O’Fallon will be the first to feature a drive-thru window.

Food and Lodging

Three new hotels make 14 lodging options open to travelers. The Hampton Inn located next to the Regency Conference Center is now open, as is TownePlace Suites by Marriott. They added a total of 185 rooms, and with the new Fairfield Inn, the city will now have 1,291 rooms available, mostly along I-64.

Fairfield Inn is set to open in the summer, to be located across the street from Menard’s. A new restaurant called Drake’s will be next door.

Those three join the Baymont by Wyndham, Candlewood Suites, Best Western, Drury Inn & Suites, Extended Stay America, Hilton Garden Inn, HomeTowne Studios and Suites, LaQuinta Inn & Suites, Quality Inn, Super 8 by Wyndham and Sleep Inn.

Seniors

Two new senior living places are in the works: Keystone Place on Frank Scott Parkway, expected to open by the end of 2020, and Vantage Point, north of the YMCA on Seven Hills Road.

Other locations

A Cancer Care Center, located between St. Elizabeth’s and I-64, should be open in the spring.

Insite Professional Park is nearly complete will be a multi-facility office park.

“We are hitting the ground running in 2020. We continue to grow. We have another six to eight projects our staff is working on,” Roach said.