St. Charles council approves Brownstone PUD changes, clears path for River 504 project after 5-4 vote

The St. Charles City Council on Aug. 18, 2025, approved amendments to the Brownstone Planned Unit Development preliminary plan for the River 504 development, adopting brick pavers on First Street, rejecting tree grates on First Street, and requiring replacement trees of the largest available caliper from a local nursery. The motion passed 5-4 after an amendment to the original plan.

Council members and staff said the central conflict was whether to reroute an existing sanitary sewer that runs through the middle of the site to preserve mature parkway trees on Prairie Street. Russ Colby, city planning staff, told the council that using brick pavers on First Street would raise the public improvement budget by $12,000 and that adding tree grates and trees would add roughly $11,000 to that budget. Colby said, “the brick pavers could be used in place of the concrete sidewalk along First Street. The added additional cost is $12,000 and that cost will be added into the public improvement budget.”

Developer Julie Salyers of J and B Builders said redesigning the sanitary line would likely delay construction and possibly make the project financially infeasible. “That’s our biggest concern, the timing, to have to redesign. ... it could make it not viable,” Salyers said, describing market uncertainty, possible tariff-driven price increases and two prospective buyers whose interest hinges on starting work this year.

Colby told the council staff reviewed options to reroute the sanitary sewer to avoid removing Prairie Street parkway trees but found no viable parkway route because of other utilities; directional boring was not recommended because of bedrock depth. He said relocating the sewer into Prairie Street would likely require engineering to place the sewer about 10 feet out from the street curve to clear a storm sewer and could require lane or multi-lane closures during construction.

Council discussion focused on tree preservation, construction timing and long-term site buildability. Several council members said the existing parkway trees appeared to be mature—an estimated 25 to 30 years old—and expressed reluctance to remove them. Alderman Robert Horvath said, “If those trees are going to be removed, I’m not going to support this plan,” and urged relocating the sewer into the street instead. Other members pressed the developer about whether multiple buildings would be built at once or incrementally; Salyers said the developer hopes to move forward as quickly as possible but noted timing sensitivities.

The developer indicated willingness to add street trees on First Street and larger-caliper replacements on Prairie Street if required, but the landscape designer advised that tree grates are not the best environment for long-term tree health and the developer would not warranty trees planted in the proposed grates. Colby said the Plan Commission recommended installing landscape bed planters within two parking spaces to accommodate street trees.

Councilmember Weber moved the amendment that ultimately passed: require brick pavers on First Street, do not install tree grates or parkway trees on First Street, and require the developer to replace removed Prairie Street trees with the largest-diameter trees available from a local nursery. The amendment passed 5-4; the motion to approve the PUD ordinance as amended likewise passed 5-4.

The council approved the plan with the understanding that any sanitary sewer relocation or construction details still must be engineered; no cost estimate for relocating the sewer was available at the meeting. Colby and others cautioned that installing the sanitary sewer in Prairie Street could encounter bedrock and require street closure, adding cost and construction complexity.

Next steps identified at the meeting include final engineering of any required utility relocations and incorporation of the approved public improvement budget adjustments into the developer reimbursement schedule. Council staff and the developer also will coordinate on tree selection and installation timing, and the developer expects to proceed with initial site work subject to those engineering and scheduling steps.