O’Fallon considering major project with restaurants, retail, apartments, hotel and more

A new project seen as a destination for O’Fallon — a major development of restaurants, retail, entertainment, residential and hotel space described as comparable to the Streets of St. Charles in Missouri, only smaller — is now under consideration.

Unique to the metro-east, plans for the 29-acre development along Central Park Drive are under review by the O’Fallon Planning Commission. They were to meet Feb. 22.

Located at 1245 Central Park Drive, it is situated 1/2-mile northwest of its intersection with Green Mount Road, and currently an undeveloped agricultural site.

Commercial Property Investors has proposed a mixed-use development project consisting of 384 market-rate apartment units, a hotel, and a restaurant/retail/entertainment use on 29.44 acres.

Since 2008, Streets of St. Charles has been a regional destination for dining, shopping, entertainment and as a place to live, work and stay, and includes more than 1 million square feet. Visible from Interstate 70, its 27-acre mixed-use development is home to luxury apartments, a movie theater, offices, two hotels, shops and restaurants.

Commercial Property Investors would like the preliminary plat to be approved to subdivide the property into four lots, noted City Planner Mary Kennedy in her report.

Lot 1 will feature four three-story apartment buildings with 26 units each and Lot 2 will be commercial, with the potential for restaurant space, possibly with one drive-thru and others with alcohol sales, plus retail, or an entertainment destination.

Lot 2, right now, is conceptual and specific details regarding tenants and building design have not been determined, Kennedy stated.

Lot 3 will contain a four-story, 94-room hotel. Developer Darrell Shelton said they would work with Hilton Hotels and identified Home2 Suites as a potential fit for the site. Shelton recently built the Fairfield Inn in O’Fallon, bringing the number of hotels to 14 in the city.

Lot 4 would include a four-story apartment building with 240 units.

The site is northwest of Gateway Classic Cars and across from Northern Tool, Club Fitness, La-Z-Boy Furniture and Kloss Furniture.

The larger parcel of 28.12 acres is zoned community business district while the smaller parcel of 1.32 acres is zoned planned single-family residence, and was part of the Stone Bridge Estates development, but was deeded to Commercial Property Investors in 2013 because a tributary of Richland Creek separated it from the development.

The property was never rezoned or redesignated on the zoning-use map, according to Kennedy.

The applicants are requesting a planned use to allow both parcels to be rezoned to Planned Community Business District, and the 1.32-acre parcel designated as regional commercial.

The property is part of the Central Park Plaza third addition commercial subdivision, which was approved in 1999. It is also part of the Central Park TIF District, which was approved in 2012.

Surrounding property, apartment community

The property surrounding it is a mixture of residential, commercial, and undeveloped vacant land. To the north is the parking lot for Serra Honda, to the east is Kloss Furniture, Northern Tool, Club Fitness and CarMax. To the south is Gateway Classic Cars.

The apartment community on Lot 4 will feature 32 three-bedroom units, 104 two-bedroom units and 104 one-bedroom units and onsite amenities.

The other apartment community on Lot 3 will be arranged around a central lake, clubhouse, and pool, with 72 two-bedroom units and 72 one-bedroom units.

Both apartment communities will have detached garages in addition to surface parking.

The hotel will be a four-story building with 94 rooms and will not be a conference hotel nor contain a restaurant/bar in the lobby. However, applicants are requesting approval for onsite consumption of alcohol in the common area of the hotel lobby where continental breakfasts and happy hours will be hosted for hotel guests.

The project is proposed to be built out in phases with the residential development occurring first.

Traffic Study, Master Plan Alignment

A traffic study by CBB Transportation Engineers was conducted to assess the proposed plans impact on Central Park Drive, and focused on key intersections of Central Park Circle, north and south, and all access points proposed within the development.

It provided recommendations to ensure Central Park Drive operates effectively and safely and considered the ability for motorists to safely enter and exit the site.

Community Development Director Justin Randall noted the 2040 Master Plan has development policies to promote the vision for the city this project is aligned with, providing amenities to meet the needs of residents.

Randall notes in the review it would enhance community character through good architectural design and improve the appearance of the corridor.

More about proposed plan

As part of the master plan’s desire to create alternatives to vehicular roadway connections, such as bike trails, the development is an 8-minute bike ride to St. Ellen Mine Park and Three Springs Park in Shiloh. The development is reserving land for a future trail that would improve pedestrian mobility along the corridor.

To promote the plan’s land development policies that conserve natural resources while creating recreational opportunities for residents, this development will reserve land along the Richland Creek corridor for a future multi-use trail that will help conserve the riparian landscape while creating a recreational amenity for the community.

It will help diversify the housing stock, as requested in the master plan that wants to provide a range of housing sizes, types, and price points to accommodate individuals and families of varying life phases, abilities, and economic means.

The development supports walkability. Residents can access the retail, restaurant, or entertainment uses proposed on Lot 2, in addition to other nearby businesses — Club Fitness, Menards, Starbucks, and several restaurants) within a 15-minute walk.

Staff Recommendations

The Community Development Department recommended approval, along with a list of items it would require before approval.

A dedicated right-turn lane would need to be constructed on Central Park Drive for the northern access point to the site as well as reserve 10 feet of right-of- way across the frontage for future widening of the road, as recommended in the traffic study.

The department wants all landscaping, exterior lighting, and signage to comply with the applicable codes.

A cross-access easement and joint maintenance agreement will be required for the internal access point between the subject property and Gateway Classic Cars at the southern property line.

Cross-access easements and joint maintenance agreements would be required between Lots 1 and 4 and between Lots 2 and 3 in the event that ownership of an individual lot changes.

The development is required to reserve ground to accommodate a future multi-purpose trail with direct connections to the subject property.

O’Fallon mayor looks forward to seeing plan

The final plat for Lot 1 is required to include a note prohibiting the sale as individual apartment buildings and the four must be maintained under single ownership.

The development will need provide safe access to the MetroBus stops located on Central Park Drive in front of the site.

After the Planning Commission meeting, if approved, the project will move on to the Community Development Committee, which after review, can send it on to the O’Fallon City Council for a first reading, followed by its return to CDC, then back to council — if there are no snags in the procedure.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the final proposed plan,” Mayor Herb Roach said. “There have been different variations.”

This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 1:29 PM.