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ST. CHARLES — St. Charles City Hall will soon be known as the St. Charles County Courthouse AnnexÌýper a deal approved by the city and county governments on Tuesday.Ìý

Leaders from both sides of St. Charles' Main Street praised the agreement. St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann described it as a "tremendous deal."Ìý

"I think people in the city realize that they could have sold it to a developer who may turn it into the Taj Mahal, or to a developer who is going to use it as a tax break and let it deteriorate," Ehlmann said. "We're not going to let that happen."Ìý

The county plans to invest millions into the building, which was built in 1975, and to use it for office space.Ìý

Ehlmann and St. Charles Mayor Dan Borgmeyer have announced a press conference celebrating the deal for Wednesday morning in St. Charles.Ìý

In exchange for giving up its longtime city hall building, St. Charles will receive more than $4.6 million in financial assistance to extend Main Street north through former American Car Foundry property toward Montgomery Street. The American Car Foundry property is under renovations, as St. Charles city leaders plan to open the new City Centre Complex there in late 2026.Ìý

The city will lease the building from the county until city staff move a few blocks to the north, said Brad Temme, an assistant director of administration with the city.Ìý

The county has also agreed to waive some requirements that will allow new roads being built in the Riverpointe development, which city leaders say will help them coax more developers to build in the 120-acre site along the Missouri River south of Interstate 70 in St. Charles.Ìý

"This helps us get all the infrastructure we need to support development of this 100-acre plus property," Temme said. "This new agreement allows us to move forward with the development and to unlock our riverfront."

Meanwhile, county leaders say St. Charles County needs the current city hall at 200 N. Main Street because the courthouse is "bursting at the seams."

Judges in the county courthouse, which was built in the early 1990s, are having to share courtrooms. Some courtrooms don't have enough seating for juries, preventing them from holding jury trials and creating additional delays.Ìý

The county had looked at spending an estimated $34 million to construct a similar-size office building on county-owned property one block north of the existing courthouse. The county had purchased the property in 2007 anticipating the need for more courtrooms.Ìý

"We may still need that property in the future," Ehlmann told the Post-Dispatch on Tuesday.Ìý

At least for now, the county plans to spend an estimated $18 million to renovate and modernize the 45,000-square-foot city hall, which officials have said is "functionally obsolete" and lacks a sprinkler system in some parts, adequate security features found in other city halls in St. Charles County, and was too small for the city's needs.Ìý

Their current offices in the courthouse building at the corner of Jefferson and Main Street would be transformed into new three courtrooms, which county leaders say are sorely needed to help address the backlog of cases created during the pandemic. Additionally, the county still plans to renovate the courthouse to add two new courtrooms on the main floor.Ìý

The county will also assume operation of the parking garage on the city hall property. It will, according to county leaders, stay open to the public.Ìý