ST. CHARLES • A 245-home suburban-type subdivision is planned for an empty 67.7-acre portion of what once was part of the footprint for the new-urbanist New Town project on St. Charles’ northern edge.

The City Council last month gave the go-ahead for developer Tom Hughes’ plans for the Charlestowne Place subdivision west of Boschertown Road and Highway B.

Bruce Evans, the city’s community development director, said the council also removed high-density New Town zoning rules from the site and other vacant land owned by Hughes-affiliated companies.

Evans said Hughes eventually plans to build additional homes on the tracts, which total 211 acres. That would require further city approval.

New Town has modern homes of various sizes and prices on an old-style street grid with easy walking to stores, eateries, parks and lakes.

St. Charles in 2014 approved a similar switch, allowing Hughes to build 234 suburban-style homes on 93 other vacant New Town acres. Nearly two-thirds of those have been built and more are in the pipeline.