During the past few weeks, there has been some discussion about the City’s decision to permit a private school bus company to operate from a location on Randall Road. Questions include:

• Is a school bus facility really the best use of that property?
• Why would St. Charles allow this company to operate, since it serves kids who don’t live here?
• Won’t the traffic congestion from the school buses mean additional delays in the heavily traveled Main Street/Randall Road area?

The City undertook a careful analysis of this project and there are logical answers for these questions. That analysis resulted in the City Council approving the project by a vote of 8-2.

A portion of the site at 300 N. Randall Road (former Seigle’s stockyard and vacant area) is zoned M-1 Special Manufacturing (industrial). Uses permitted in the M-1 zoning district include:

• light manufacturing,
• warehouse/distribution facility, and
• minor motor vehicle repair, among many other uses

During the public meeting of the Planning & Development Committee, it was stated that some of the uses permitted under the current zoning could have a more detrimental impact on the area than the proposed bus facility, including increased traffic volumes and other objectionable activities.

A traffic analysis was conducted by the City’s traffic consultant to assess the impact of the bus facility on the adjacent road network. The analysis examined traffic conditions resulting from buses exiting the site during a single peak hour. The analysis concluded that there are no capacity issues anticipated as a result of the bus facility.

The intersections of IL Route 64/Randall Road and Dean Street/Randall Road were further studied. The analysis identified a potential area of concern with traffic signal timing at the IL Route 64/Randall Road intersection. The traffic signals were retimed to alleviate this concern.

Illinois Central School Bus will have approximately 150 employees at the facility, including drivers, dispatchers and mechanics, with a combined annual income of approximately $2.4 million. These jobs, while not considered high-paying, are still jobs that some people in our community want and need.

The drivers will serve school-aged children in the neighboring communities of West Chicago, Batavia, and Geneva. There is no legal basis to deny the company from operating because it serves residents in other communities. Should the city prohibit companies that offer services and products to those outside of St. Charles? I think we all know that answer.

The investment in improvements to the 300 N. Randall Road property is estimated at approximately $1 million, which includes renovations to the former Siegle’s building, removal of the storage outbuildings and rail spur, extension of the access drive from Xsport Fitness to the site, construction of the bus storage yard, installation of a fueling station, and construction of a stormwater detention basin. For a copy of the site plan, please click here.

During the review process, the owners stated that the bus company proposal is not their preferred use for the property. Retail/commercial use is their long-term goal, but the current economic climate makes that impossible. As a result, Illinois Central School Bus will enter a 5-year lease for the 300 N. Randall Road site. The City’s approval will also terminate in five years. The future goal is to redevelop the site with improved access to Randall Road. The expiration of the lease and special use will permit this to occur.

Finally, as part of this process, the owner will dedicate a public access easement for a future roadway through the site. For a copy of the site plan, please click here. The completion of the access drive from Randall Road to Dean Street is part of a long-term vision of the City’s that will allow for vehicles to travel between Dean Street and Peck Road. This will provide alternate routes to West Main Street/IL 64 and Dean Street.

While I will be the first to admit that the bus facility is not something with significant allure or charm to many, it is not the negative and harmful project that many claim it to be. There are benefits including:

1. Rehabilitation of an abandoned site into a productive, commercial use
2. New jobs and employment opportunities for those that sorely need them
3. A capital investment of approximately $1 million, increasing the value of the site that will benefit all local taxing bodies
4. Accommodations for a future public roadway at no cost to the City.