2018/11/13 - Walter's Blog: Big Things Are Happening In O'Fallon!
There are two momentous events happening in O’Fallon this week: O’Fallon Station is going up and Southview Plaza is coming down. Both are the result of years of effort by City elected officials and staff to redevelop the core of our community.
O’Fallon Station will open this weekend with the inaugural Festival of Trees beginning on November 17. The festival will feature beautifully decorated Christmas trees, food, crafts, Santa, and more. The November 24 Illuminated Holiday Parade will end at O’Fallon Station for holiday festivities and hot chocolate.
The purpose of O’Fallon Station is to bring people to historic downtown O’Fallon with activities, markets, and festivals. Look for announcements on future O’Fallon Station events!
While Southview Plaza was once the center of shopping in O’Fallon, it has been in disrepair for years. The City Council’s first attempt to redevelop the shopping center was in 1998 and it has taken this long to finally see progress. Demolition began last week, and the buildings should be down by the end of this week. The Papa John’s restaurant will eventually move out of the center and the entire structure will be demolished. Soil contamination was found underneath the buildings, so it will take some time to excavate the affected dirt off the property.
There is no confirmed project that will replace the center, but we have been told that the property will be more attractive for development once the buildings are down and contamination is cleaned up. The O’Fallon City Council approved a Tax Increment Financing District on the property to assist with the redevelopment of the blighted buildings and contamination remediation.
We have received numerous comments on our Facebook page with fond memories of the various stores that occupied Southview Plaza over the years. Hopefully, O’Fallon Station and new development at the Southview property will provide new memories for O’Fallon residents for years to come.