History in the Remaking
What’s St. Charles got that no other town in the county’s got? A sense of history, architecture, diversity, community and common sense layout of streets (at least in the older parts of town). That which is wrong with suburbia was pointed out by a recent e-mail forwarded on in the council’s weekly pack of information. In the e-mail letter, Mrs. Shannon Walsh states, “I trekked out several times the first few months I moved here looking for neat areas to shop, walk, get a feel for the neighborhood — plug in. I found only one — downtown St. Charles. The rest of Saint Charles County is just as so many had described. A cluttered jungle of ugly, scattershot, out of control development, strip malls, with no hint of neighborhood or character. I got lost every time I went out because it all looked exactly the same!”
Welcome to “community” as imagined by most developers who are not directed by government (rare to nonexistent in our county) to imagine something beyond plastic-skinned houses lining the pleasant sounding curvilinear streets named after that which they have annihilated! For fun, think up a pastoral sounding street name such as, “Sunny Meadow” and then look in the local street guide. If you make it “Pleasantville” sounding enough, you will be sure to find it somewhere in our county. Next, take a drive to the street and you will not see a Meadow but a beige or white sided house stuck on a cul-de-sac where a through street could have very easily connected to the next development and maybe even led you by foot to a grocery store!
Ms. Walsh is, of course, correct in her assessment of what she sees and in her letter she continues (emphasis added is hers), “I don’t really LIVE in St. Charles...I sleep in St. Charles County but that’s it.”
Early on, many of us had a vague notion of what disturbed us about the way developers were allowed to build but it wasn’t articulated as such. We knew that commutes were getting longer and longer and that left-hand turns onto some streets were increasingly difficult and life threatening. We knew that the greenspace that was sought was disappearing and in its place a carbon copied strip center was built. For many the “local” place to get “good” food became a franchised restaurant surrounded by a sea of asphalt. Housing developments are waxing while community is waning.
What does the current expansion format cost us? Have you ever thought about the price tag that comes along with the way that we build? Consider the following:
increased cost of maintaining massive infrastructure for low density development
increased cost of transportation due to the curvilinear layout of streets
increased commute time that costs us leisure time with family and friends
increased health costs created from an automobile-mastered society that promotes sedentary existence
Those are a few of the real monetary costs, but the thing that has cost us just as greatly and that which Ms. Walsh is lamenting in her letter is loss of community, loss of meaningful space, loss of connection to her surroundings. Meaningful space is exactly what draws thousands of us to Main Street over and over again. Main Street has many individual private owners but yet we still feel like we all own the whole space! Main Street is an eclectic use-of-space mix — boutiques, parks, homes, businesses, large buildings, small buildings, old buildings and new buildings alike help define this special space!
We here in Saint Charles have a head start on other communities and have some promising things planned. For example, I have mentioned before that I feel St. Charles City is a rivertown with little relationship to its great river but the Mayor and Council have common ground working for fruition of the riverfront development plan that will make the Missouri more than the muddy water you cross over to drive to work or to the baseball games.
We have a trails plan developed and will work towards connecting all parts of our City via bike/pedestrian paths. The whole community has embraced new urbanism in New Town. The ca. 750 acres of New Town under development will house far more residents than a Levittown-style development would have and offers far more desirable space in which to LIVE! The population growth here is creating demand for retail! Furthermore, this development saves greenspace and infrastructure costs!
We are rebuilding our older neighborhoods and offer financial assistance for home improvements to help out in this area. Our City is taking some steps in the right direction.
Truly, our community will do well to understand that ignoring the problems of suburbia may end up costing us dearly when young professionals choose another place that offers them something more than a Wal-mart Supercenter. St. Charles is in a good position to demonstrate to the rest of the county how community is made meaningful by mixed use, public space, and pedestrian friendly developments.
I know you wrote that you plan to move back to St. Louis County Ms. Walsh, but you may want to consider coming home to Saint Charles City!
