City Wants Former Pheasant Run Demolished: Officials

ST. CHARLES, IL — The city of St. Charles is taking steps to make sure buildings on the former Pheasant Run Resort property are demolished.

A fire in a building at the former resort this past week, the second in 15 months at the shuttered Pheasant Run, prompted city officials to issue a 15-day notice of intent to sue for demolition of the property "as a matter of public safety," according to a news release from the city of St. Charles.

The cause of the Sunday fire remains under investigation, authorities said Wednesday.

• Blaze Breaks Out Again At Former Pheasant Run Resort

The Pheasant Run Resort has been closed since early 2020, and the property is owned by Miami Beach, Florida-based Saint Charles Resort, LLC.

Since the resort closed, city officials have been working with the property owner "to improve safety, security, and overall conditions on the site," according to the news release.

On May 21, 2022, two teens set paper on fire at two separate locations in a building at the former resort and then left the area, according to authorities. This past year, the teens, a 17-year-old Carol Stream boy and a 15-year-old Wheaton boy, pleaded guilty to felony arson charges and were sentenced to two years of probation.

They also were ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and a fire safety program, according to the Daily Herald.

• Teens Sentenced In Pheasant Run Arson Case

After the May 2022 fire, the city began enforcing code violations and requirements in an effort to improve site conditions, which "prompted the owner to clear the site of debris," according to the news release.

The city has since continued to prosecute and press the property owner to address other numerous code violations at the site, but has not seen much progress in addressing those violations, city officials said Wednesday.

“This is a matter of public safety, as well as the safety of our police and fire first responders,” said St. Charles Mayor Lora Vitek. “We have been pressing the property owner to remedy the deficient safety and security conditions at the site; however, the owner’s efforts have not produced sufficient results. Now we are taking more aggressive measures to prompt swift action. We want to see all of the vacant buildings demolished, public safety addressed, and the site cleared for redevelopment.”

Currently, all of the buildings at the facility are vacant, and there are no businesses being run out of the property, fire officials told Patch this past week.