What St. Charles development should you know about in 2026?
The St. Charles development story for late 2026 still centers on the east side, where The Shops at Pheasant Run now has a City Council ordinance and a pending TIF package, and Charlestowne Mall remains listed for sale with no approved redevelopment plan. Northwest of downtown, City Council gave final approval on November 2, 2026 to Pulte’s 105-home Seventh Street Commons plan. Downtown, the city wants to keep the Fox River impoundment above its dam, and Building 8 on First Street is moving toward a small apartment project with a May 1, 2027 construction start deadline. If you are starting to look, these are the projects that can change your view, your drive, and your options over the next few years.
By Kealan O’Neil | October 22, 2026 | Updated November 5, 2026
Most first looks at St. Charles, IL focus on the downtown riverwalk, the restaurants on First Street, and the Fox River Trail. Those parts are settled.
What is not settled shows up in City Council packets. This guide walks through the east side, the downtown riverfront, and the edges of town, then shows you how to check a project yourself.
St. Charles development on the east side: Route 64 is changing
East Main Street, which is also Illinois Route 64, is where most of the change is happening. Three large sites sit within a couple of miles of each other.
The Shops at Pheasant Run
The former resort’s 33.7-acre parcel sits at the southeast corner of East Main Street and Kautz Road, addressed as 4051 E. Main Street. According to the city’s Shops at Pheasant Run project page, the plan divides the site into 14 commercial lots for retail, restaurant, and service uses. The developer is Vequity.
The approved plans develop six of those lots first: Chase Bank, Valvoline, Dutch Bros, and three multi-tenant buildings. Lot 14 is reserved for a future car dealership. The remaining lots still need their own preliminary-plan approvals before permits.
This piece of St. Charles development took a long path. The concept plan went to the Plan Commission in December 2025, the Plan Commission held its public hearing on July 21, 2026, and the City Council passed the ordinance on October 5, 2026. As of the city’s October 21, 2026 update, the final plat and final engineering plans were under staff review.
Financing still matters to the timeline. Local reporting on the Committee of the Whole’s October 19, 2026 recommendation describes a pay-as-you-go tax increment financing (TIF) reimbursement capped at $3.5 million for eligible site-prep and environmental costs, with a final City Council vote scheduled for November 2, 2026. Confirm that vote in the current council minutes before you treat the incentive as locked. Until the redevelopment agreement is final, treat construction timing as tentative. Reporting tied to the package has pointed to a 2027 construction start once financing and site work line up.
Charlestowne Mall
A short drive west, the Charlestowne Mall site is still the biggest question mark in this St. Charles development roundup. The city’s Charlestowne Mall redevelopment page says the mall opened in 1991 with about 800,000 square feet on 72.94 acres, and the interior closed in 2017.
Only Von Maur and Classic Cinemas still operate there with exterior access. The City of St. Charles does not own any of the mall property. The majority owner, The Krausz Companies, listed the site for sale in 2025, and the city’s January 2026 Vision for 2026 update still frames Pheasant Run and Charlestowne Mall as sites where discussions continue.
The city’s summary also shows why this will take time. It estimates more than $30 million to get the land pad-ready, including about $8.6 million for demolition and more than $10 million for utility relocation and upsizing. From the first concept review to final entitlement, the city estimates 8 to 12 months once a developer steps forward. That is before any construction starts.
Fox Haven Square and Charlestowne Lakes
Two smaller St. Charles development projects sit nearby and are further along. Fox Haven Square is a 7-acre Greco Investment Management project south of Jewel, near the northeast corner of East Main Street and Kirk Road, with four restaurant and retail buildings, shared parking, and an outdoor plaza. The city’s Fox Haven Square project page still lists construction as underway. A January 12, 2026 city economic-development release had targeted a spring 2026 opening for the roughly 70,000 square feet of retail, so verify current tenant openings on a site visit or with Community Development before you bank on a specific opening week.
Charlestowne Lakes, on 28 acres northeast of the mall and south of Foxfield Drive, includes 167 homes: 105 townhomes and 62 duplex units by D.R. Horton. The project also builds King Edward Avenue to connect Foxfield Drive and Smith Road, which will change how some east side traffic moves. Construction is underway per the city project page.
The east side sewer line
Here is a St. Charles development detail most buyers never hear about. The city’s mall summary notes an expansion of the east side sanitary sewer trunk main, estimated at more than $40 million and not expected to be finished before 2030. Construction has already begun, but much of the work remains.
Big sewer work can mean years of lane closures on main roads. It is one more reason to ask the city about timing if you are buying near the Route 64 corridor.
St. Charles development downtown and on the riverfront
Downtown St. Charles development is smaller in size, but it shapes the part of town most visitors know.
The Fox River dam decision
In 2023, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers restarted a study of 10 Fox River dams from Algonquin to Montgomery, and St. Charles formed a joint task force to look at the impacts of losing its dam. On June 1, 2026, the City Council passed Resolution 2026-80. A copy of that resolution is posted with the Fox River Dam Joint Task Force materials on Engage St. Charles.
That resolution commits the city to working with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to keep the impoundment, the deeper pool of water above the dam, while staying open to options that modify the dam structure. It also ended the task force’s work. Local reporting after the vote notes that federal study funding has been uncertain, which is one reason the city wanted a clearer position for riverfront planning.
What it means for you: the city has said it wants the river upstream of downtown to stay usable for boating and paddling. The state still has authority over the dam, so this is a stated goal, not a guarantee.
The riverfront site north of the Municipal Building
The former Police Department building on the riverfront, just north of the Municipal Building, has been vacant since 2019, when its occupants moved to a new station. The city’s Downtown Riverfront Property page says the first public open house drew more than 100 people and the online survey drew 738 responses.
A second open house on April 8, 2026 focused on the open space concept that people favored in the first round. Key findings were set for a June 1, 2026 City Council presentation, and the city says more meetings will follow. No final use has been chosen. The city’s Vision for 2026 update lists continued public engagement on this site as a 2026 priority.
First Street, Building 8, and River 504
Building 8, at the northeast corner of Illinois Street and Route 31, is the last open lot in the First Street redevelopment. The city’s Building 8 request for proposals said it wanted more residential units there to balance the mix of uses. Local reporting on the September 21, 2026 City Council vote describes a unanimously approved redevelopment agreement for a four-story project called Legacy Lofts: 12 living units over first-level parking on the 0.13-acre city-owned lot, with construction required to begin by May 1, 2027. Final drawings were still under staff review after that vote, so confirm the latest status with Community Development before you treat unit counts or rents as fixed.
A few blocks south, River 504 Rowhomes includes 8 rowhomes in four two-unit buildings at South 1st and Prairie Streets. The city’s River 504 project page says construction is underway on the first building.
St. Charles development on the edges of town
Away from Route 64 and downtown, three residential projects are in different stages. Each one shows a different step in how St. Charles development gets approved.
Seventh Street Commons. This is the biggest status change since this post first published. Pulte’s plan for 105 homes, 93 detached homes and 12 townhomes, sits on a 27-acre former industrial site northwest of downtown between N. 5th and N. 12th streets, north of State Street. The Applied Composites plant stopped operating in 2005, and the land has stayed vacant. According to the city’s Seventh Street Commons project page, the Plan Commission recommended approval 7-0 on September 22, 2026, and the Committee of the Whole recommended approval 7-1 on October 19, with a condition to add 30 trees near State Street Creek. Local reporting on the November 2, 2026 City Council meeting says the council gave final approval. Pulte has pointed to a possible April 2027 start on site work, sales targeted for late 2027, and a roughly four-year build-out. The city is also creating a TIF on the site to reimburse the city, not Pulte, for relocating on-site electric lines estimated at less than $3 million. Pulte remains responsible for demolition, environmental remediation through the Illinois EPA Site Remediation Program, and site infrastructure.
Prairie Centre. On the west side, the former St. Charles Mall site at Route 38 and Randall Road is approved for 670 residential units plus commercial space. The city reports more than 500 units are finished, and two outlot projects along Route 38, a Gardner School daycare and a 7 Brew Coffee, were under city review when the Prairie Center project page was last checked.
Claibourne Farm. M/I Homes brought a concept plan for 76 detached homes on 38 acres west of Rosebud Drive and south of Reserve Drive. Concept review ended in April 2026, and the land would need to be annexed into the city. A concept review is feedback, not an approval.
For a closer look at homes being built now, our St. Charles new construction guide covers current communities. If you are comparing Fox River towns, our Geneva, IL neighborhoods guide is a useful next read for the town just south of St. Charles.
How to choose the top real estate brokerage in St. Charles, IL when the town is changing
When people search for the top real estate brokerage in St. Charles, IL, they are often trying to find someone who will check what is planned around a home, not only what is inside it. Whoever you work with, here is the St. Charles development checklist worth running on any address:
- Look up the zoning. The city’s zoning information page links to the interactive zoning map and the My Property Info search.
- Scan the city’s projects list. Each active project has a page with plans, meeting dates, and current status.
- Know which stage a project is in. A concept review is informal feedback. A Plan Commission public hearing, a committee recommendation, and a City Council vote are the steps that make it real.
- Watch for public hearing notices. For zoning or special use requests, the city notifies owners within 250 feet of the site before the Plan Commission hearing.
- Check the long-range plan. The current Comprehensive Plan was adopted in September 2013. The city’s Vision for 2026 update says staff will update that plan and the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan.
- Ask about road and utility work. Large projects like the east side sewer line can affect your commute for years.
We used the same approach in our look at Batavia development, and it works for any Fox Valley town.
Questions about St. Charles development
What is being built at the old Pheasant Run Resort?
What is happening with Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles?
Did St. Charles approve Seventh Street Commons?
Is St. Charles removing its Fox River dam?
How do I find out what is planned near a St. Charles home?
Start your St. Charles search with what is planned, not only what is listed
Most St. Charles development moves slowly. Pheasant Run, Charlestowne Mall, and the sewer work will take years, which gives you time to read the documents and choose a home with your eyes open. Seventh Street Commons now has a final council vote behind it, but cleanup, infrastructure, and sales still stretch into 2027 and beyond.
If you would like help sorting out what is planned near a specific St. Charles address, or you are just starting to compare towns, we are happy to talk it through with no pressure. Our St. Charles home search page is a good place to start. Call or text Kealan at 630-425-8815.
About Kealan O’Neil
Kealan O’Neil is the Designated Managing Broker and founder of O’Neil Property Group, an independent real estate brokerage based in Yorkville, Illinois. He and his team help buyers and sellers in Yorkville, Oswego, Montgomery, and the surrounding Kendall and Kane County communities, and he owns and manages a local rental portfolio, so he approaches every decision as both a broker and an investor. Call or text Kealan at 630-425-8815.
This post is general information about real estate in the Fox Valley, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Real estate laws, tax rules, and municipal ordinances change, and how they apply depends on your specific situation. Talk with a licensed attorney, CPA, or lender before making decisions about a purchase, sale, or tax matter. O’Neil Property Group is a licensed Illinois real estate brokerage.