The city's stated goal for Riverside Avenue is to make the block more walkable "while maintaining access for vehicles and preserving existing parking supply." The project covers two blocks between Illinois Avenue and Main Street that run past Flagship on the Fox and Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling. Of the five designs the city put on display, only two keep the parking count where it is or raise it. Both of those turn Riverside into a one-way street.

That trade sits at the center of the Riverside Avenue for All: Complete Streets Project. Comments close November 18, 2026, six days after this post goes up. A preferred concept goes to City Council in December.

Five drawings for one short corridor

The boards from the October 20 public meeting at City Hall show five alternatives. Several features appear in every one of them: bump-outs at Walnut Avenue and at Main Street, a raised intersection at Walnut to slow traffic, and new east-west crosswalks across Riverside. The real differences are in street geometry, curbs, and parking.

The two-way options lose spaces because of the safety work. The Kane County Chronicle reported that bump-outs near Main Street are there to stop cars from parking close to the intersection, where they currently block sightlines. Taking those curbside spots out drops the total from 25 to 23.

Why the one-way plans come out ahead on space

Each design has to fit within the same right-of-way. A two-way street needs two travel lanes. When Alternatives 3A and 3B drop to one lane, the boards use the freed width for three things: a wider west sidewalk, a 26th parking space, and on-street bike lanes with buffers. Those are the only two designs whose descriptions call for that bike infrastructure.

The bike lanes matter because of what sits at the south end of the block. In 2025 the city added dedicated bike lanes on Illinois Street between Riverside Avenue and South First Street, plus a pedestrian refuge island on the Illinois Street Bridge. That work, as the Kane County Chronicle described it, was meant to connect the First Street Plaza and downtown's restaurants and shops to the Fox River Trail. Today those lanes end where Riverside begins. In the one-way drawings, bike lanes run north from that point toward Main Street. In the three two-way drawings, they do not.

The curbless versions offer a different benefit. Alternative 2B stretches the raised intersection into a curbless street, with bollards separating walking space from driving space. Alternative 3B does the same on the one-way layout. The city told the Kane County Chronicle that a curbless street gives more flexibility for festivals and special events. That fits a block the paper described as heavily visited during downtown city festivals, around the corner from the Arcada Theatre and across Main Street from the St. Charles Municipal Center.

So the choice comes down to a few questions. Can two-way traffic be given up? If not, Alternatives 1, 2A and 2B all end at 23 spaces with no bike lanes, and they differ mainly in geometry and curbs. If it can, Alternatives 3A and 3B add a space, a wider west sidewalk, and the link to the Illinois Street bike lanes. Either way, the curbed and curbless versions offer the same basic choice between an everyday street and a block built to host events.

The trees go in nearly every version

The street trees are part of the decision in every design. The city's boards say the existing trees "have outgrown available space and are damaging adjacent hardscape." The Kane County Chronicle reported that each option likely involves removing them.

The city's project page lists the green elements the designs are meant to bring in: permeable pavements, bioswales, and expanded green infrastructure, along with "flexible street design elements to support community events." Anyone with a view on the canopy should send it during this comment period. After the comments close, the city moves to choosing and refining one concept.

This block sits between two bridge projects

Riverside Avenue is one of several riverfront projects the city has scheduled one at a time, running from a parking lot this fall to two bridges in 2027.

• Parking Lot B. The city scheduled the lot behind Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling at 106 S. Riverside Ave. and Flagship on the Fox at 100 S. Riverside Ave. to close for resurfacing October 19 to 23 as part of its 2026 Street Rehabilitation Project.
• Illinois Street Bridge. On September 21, City Council approved a $51,000 contract with Benesch, the Chicago engineering firm that has handled the city's bridge inspections since 2017, to design repairs. The planned work includes deck patching, curb work and sidewalk improvements, with construction expected in 2027.
• Red Gate Road bridge. Farther upstream, the Kane County Chronicle reported that the city plans to refurbish and reinstall the railings in summer 2027, timed to avoid school-year traffic, with temporary railings in place during the work.

The Illinois Street Bridge is the important one for this block, since it is where the 2025 bike lanes start. Design work on the bridge and on Riverside is happening at the same time, so the connection between the two is being decided now. The city has not published a construction date or budget for Riverside. The schedule runs only through the December 2026 council presentation.

How to weigh in before November 18

The city is taking comments by email, not through a survey form.

1. Open the project page and download the October 20 meeting boards. Each alternative has its own plan drawing and parking count.
2. Pick which trade you care about most: two-way access, the 26-space count, bike lanes connecting to Illinois Street, a curbless event layout, or the trees.
3. Email Chris Gottlieb, the city's public works engineering division manager, at [email protected] by November 18, 2026.

Mayor Clint Hull told the Kane County Chronicle that the city wants to keep vehicle access and preserve existing parking along the corridor. Comments that address both of those goals will connect directly to how the city has framed the decision.

Walk the block before you write

The best way to judge the drawings is to walk the block at a busy time, and the Arcada's late-November schedule offers several. The Scene's November lineup includes Kenny G on November 12, The Orchestra on November 20, Bret Michaels on November 27, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra's holiday-themed show on November 29. The Arcada Theatre, Club Arcada and Rock 'N Ravioli all share 105 E. Main St. at the north end of the corridor. The House Pub is at 16 S. Riverside Ave.

A good route for a show night: park, eat at Flagship on the Fox or Pollyanna, then walk north on Riverside toward Main. Watch where the crossing at Walnut feels tight and how far the parked cars sit from the corner at Main Street. Those two spots are where every design proposes changes.

Changes to Riverside Avenue will come up in conversations about homes near downtown St. Charles for years. If you live near the river and want to talk through what this project and the 2027 bridge work could mean for your plans, Kathryn Pinto is glad to help. Let's Connect.