On Wednesday, June 16th, the City of St. Charles and Charlestowne Mall Investments LLC held a press conference to publicly announce the transfer of ownership and to provide information regarding future plans for the mall. Several members of the news media, business owners, community members, and City staff attended.

The new owners of Charlestowne Mall are reluctant to release any information publicly regarding the specific improvements that they plan to make to the facility. This is primarily because they are still developing their plans and attempting to prioritize the work. However, it is apparent that there is some deferred maintenance that needs to be completed, including parking lot repairs. 

One of the primary goals of the new owners is to stabilize tenancy and work to attract new retail and entertainment establishments. Kathy Kekatos, the General Manager of Charlestowne Mall, will lead that effort.

Mall representatives have said that they have no plans to expand the square footage of the mall or pursue the acquisition of any adjacent property, including the Oliver-Hoffmann property located north of the mall and south of Foxfield Drive.

There can be no question that the City’s economic success is tied directly to the success of the Charlestowne Mall. Right now, the owners feel good about this purchase and the City plans to work with them collaboratively to achieve success. During the next few weeks, City staff will stay in touch with mall representatives to obtain more information regarding their plans and how to facilitate the revitalization process.

Here are some photos from the event. Click on each photo to make it bigger.