Whittaker Homes’ New Town at St. Charles development off Hwy. 370 and New Town Blvd has already planned to have the largest number of homes in the entire metro area. Now, this traditional neighborhood development will be even bigger.
The St. Charles City Council recently approved an additional 1,400 homes and 108 acres in this community. With this new tract of land, The New Town at St. Charles will have approximately 5,700 homes on nearly 750 acres.
The new land, known as Phase 10, is southwest of the current New Town site. According to Greg Whittaker, president of Whittaker Homes, “as with the rest of New Town, the new tract will have a variety of housing types interspersed with commercial and civic uses. Water will be an important focal point in Phase 10 as it is within all the other phases in New Town. In fact, some of the units will be on an island.”
According to Marina Khoury, project manager from Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ), the foremost new urbanism planners in the country, “The design of this latest phase follows the predominant concept for The New Town at St. Charles; to create a compact, diverse and walkable town set in an inspiring and beautiful setting.”
She continues, “Phase 10 is organized around a canal loop that opens up into a large central lake that is itself punctuated by a smaller picturesque island set into it. A system of useful public spaces including formal squares, plazas, informal parks, pedestrian paths and linear greens connect this neighborhood and extends out to the lakes and canals. The water system has a fronting drive such that its frontage becomes part of the public realm, making it accessible to all residents and allowing water views to extend further into the neighborhood.”
Even though the new tract is known as Phase 10, Whittaker said that it is planned to be built after Phase 2 and Phase 3.
Whittaker Homes has sold over 400 units in The New Town at St. Charles and there are over 5,000 people interested on a mailing list. The first closings were in April and there are many more scheduled for the coming months. In addition, over 30 live work units have been sold and a general store, a town hall, St. Charles Christian Church and a 47,000-square-foot YMCA are planned for the first phase.
The New Town amphitheater also is nearly completed. Whittaker has scheduled its first play for the outdoor amphitheater, Shakespeare in the Park 2005. Romeo & Juliet will debut the second, third and fourth weekends of June. According to Whittaker, this is just the beginning of a wide range of cultural events that are planned for New Town.
Whittaker also is having a New Town Grand Opening on June 25 and 26 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the outdoor amphitheater. According to Whittaker, the displays will be open and new sites will be unveiled in Phase II, which has approximately 500 lots total.
“Phase 10 is simply a progression of what we’re already creating at New Town. With the response we’ve had, this new phase makes sense. Of course, it will only add to the economic impact on The City of St. Charles. According to an economic impact analysis prepared by Rubin, Brown, Gornstein & Co. LLP (RBG & Co.), New Town’s direct construction costs are the equivalent of constructing two St. Charles Convention Centers each year for a period of 12 years. This report was based on New Town’s original 638 acres and 4,300 homes, so this new phase will help generate even more income for the region.
Ultimately, The New Town at St. Charles, a $1.3 billion project will be a thriving town with approximately 5,700 residences in ten phases, with a carefully planned mix of homes in addition to a large town center and four neighborhood centers.
To reach New Town at St. Charles, take Hwy. 370 to north on New Town Blvd., 1 ? miles to the entrance on the right. The sales center is open from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily. For information, call 636-949-2700 or visit www.newtownastcharles.com.
