Along with increases in population came increases in the area of the city (since 1970, the city has annexed approximately 4,578 acres of land), increased commercial and residential growth, and the effects-whether they are positive or negative-of this growth. As stated in the city’s Comprehensive Plan,

The buffer between St. Charles and the Chicago suburbs in shrinking: St. Charles’ identity could be fused with the other suburbs. It is more important now than at any other point in St. Charles’ history to establish and communicate a cohesive community image. An image of what St. Charles is and what makes it different from other communities centered around four basic premises: integrated open space and green areas, a Home Town atmosphere, a strong sense of community, and balanced and orderly development. (3-9)

What many residents like most about living in St. Charles are the small town atmosphere and its proximity to the countryside ("St. Charles Comp Plan" 3-6). Tom Anderson, a St. Charles businessman and lifelong resident of St. Charles commented, "One thing that is nice is that it is the first major river valley west of Chicago. It is a very nice place to be with the bike trails and being next to the water. The proximity to Chicago is nice, for everything from business to cultural to social events. If you want to do international travel, O’Hare is close by to take you anywhere in the world. And for me, business wise, the area is economically a base of industries" (29 Dec 2000). Some of the major issues facing St. Charles recently include development on the western edge/Randall Road corridor, development and investment in the historic downtown area, and new, large subdivisions versus their historic districts.

While Elgin and Batavia have been concentrating on the commercial and industrial aspect of Randall Road, the western edge of the study area, St. Charles has seen mostly residential developments. As Tom Anderson commented in our interview, "The city has put a lot of industry on the East side and the West side has become more the residential side. St. Charles has not gotten the big influx of retail on the west side partly because of the Kane County Fair Grounds" (29 Dec 2000). St. Charles has also been left to deal with the St. Charles Mall along Randall Road, which has been vacant for the past five years. This contrasts with the new developments that are coming in hand over fist in their neighbors to the north and south. These residential developments do provide rooftops to support the commercial development that is occurring elsewhere along Randall Road (Santell 26 Dec 2000).

While these large developments along Randall Road provide hefty tax dollars to the communities, they also threaten the historic downtown areas that exist in all three of these communities. The Mayor of Geneva, a community about the same size as St. Charles, nestled in between St. Charles and Batavia, but not included in this study, commented on the effects of Randall Road, "The biggest concern I have is how it affects our downtown, and I think the merchants in the downtown are also concerned. We don’t have a lot of direct competition between the downtown and Randall Road, but we do have only so many expendable dollars for people to spend, and they have more of an option now-they can go to the new restaurants on Randall Road rather than spending it downtown." This is true for all the communities located along that route, as is this observation, "I think the growth has a lot of upsides also in that it gives our citizens more options where to shop, if Randall Road developments weren’t working they would be closing down, but it just keeps getting bigger" (Coughlin 12/27/00).

St. Charles’ downtown has not been affected too much by Randall Road development, mostly because "the downtown has a different fabric and nature than the businesses that are coming on the fringe" (Tungare 8/15/00). Stores and businesses in the downtown include antique stores, coffeehouses, restaurants, and the newly renovated Arcada Theatre. St. Charles was also the recipient of the Great American Mainstreet Award in 2000 (Schelkopf 1). The historic area of Century Corners, just east of the Fox River, is the original town of St. Charles and has some of the oldest buildings in Northern Illinois. Many of these homes have been converted into bookstores, antique stores, and boutiques, and are located in walking distance from Main Street (Century Corners 1). St. Charles, in conjunction with a consulting firm, is developing a downtown strategic plan. The city got community input on what they wanted to see in the downtown through several meetings. What they found was that citizens want a mix of businesses, access to the Fox River, and buildings that can be adapted to many uses. Also, "instead of building stores with a 30-year life-span like those going up along Randall Road, the buildings must be useful 100 years from now" (Guyer 2). This type of plan looks to the future of St. Charles by accommodating for several types of growth and considering the longevity of new structures.

St. Charles also participates in a Façade Improvement Program for the downtown, "designed to promote the continued use and maintenance of commercial buildings in the downtown area. It is intended to help property owners to rehabilitate and restore the visible exterior of existing structures, and to construct or enhance rear pedestrian entrances of buildings" ("Façade Improvement" 1). This program offers grants for both the exterior building façade and improvements to rear entrances. Grants up to $4000 are available for both programs ("Façade Improvement" 2).

Two historic districts exist in St. Charles, one that straddles the river with the downtown in the middle; the other proposed district is located on the west side of the river. The city also participates in a Historic Landmark Designation program, which promotes the preservation of historic sites and structures contributing to the historical character of St. Charles ("Façade Improvement" 3). Under this designation, "homeowners are required to keep their homes as close to original condition as possible. . . and are required to check with the Historic Preservation Commission before they change anything that would alter the home’s architecture" ("Officials take Historic. . ." 1). The existence of such districts, as well as the historic downtown area, promotes the utilization of established sections of the town, preventing the deterioration of the center city as the fringes develop.