ST. CHARLES, Mo. – St. Charles City officials broke ground Tuesday on a major project in the heart of downtown.

The new City Centre Complex is a 550,000 square-foot project is at the old American Car Foundry property, strategically located to bridge the gap between historic Main Street and Frenchtown.

Mayor Dan Borgmeyer said this project is several years in the making and said it is a bridge between the north and south parts of town along the river. He said there are going to be some changes with this project impacting the Katy Trail.

“Katy Trail is going to be relocated down by Riverpointe on that end,” he said. “We’re going to try to follow the tree line as best we can, but we are rebuilding. We have permission from DNR and everything to take care of that.”

The new complex, also known as the C3, is a significant investment in the community, funded by an $85 million bond issue called Proposition C, which was approved by voters last spring without a tax increase.

The development will include a new city hall, a state-of-the-art recreation center, a senior center, a four-seasons farmers market, art and cultural spaces, and a restaurant incubator aimed at supporting local entrepreneurs.

Mayor Borgmeyer said the project will also include a new parking garage.

“There will be private parking on second street for seniors, so they can all park up there. That is the shortest entrance they can enter that way. Then there will be a walkway through it all, from Second Street down to Main Street, is a 14-foot fall. So, there will be a wide, kind of magnificent stairway for people to operate on and sit on and things like that,” said Mayor Borgmeyer.