Pheasant Run receivership paves way for demolition

ST. CHARLES – At an emergency hearing the morning of Sept. 28, the city of St. Charles requested and was granted an emergency petition for appointment of receiver of the site of the former Pheasant Run property.

The action, which paves the way for demolition of the buildings remaining on the site, comes after vandals accessing the site caused a large structure fire that destroyed parts of the former Pheasant Run property in May 2022. On Aug. 19 of this year, a second structure fire occurred at the site and is still under investigation.

The receiver, Great Lakes Property Services LLC, is authorized as a neutral party in the legal dispute to take immediate possession of the property, erect a security fence around its perimeter, undertake an environmental evaluation of the buildings and site and obtain bids for demolition of the buildings.

Great Lakes Property Services will obtain bids for the demolition of the buildings and present those bids to the court at a hearing scheduled for Oct. 12. All costs associated with the receivership will be paid for by the building owner, Saint Charles Resort LLC, out of Miami Beach, Florida.

“I am extremely pleased with the outcome of this morning’s hearing,” St. Charles Mayor Lora Vitek said in a news release. “Demolition of the remaining structures is the best course of action to ensure public safety. This has been a long time coming. We have been pressing the property owner to remedy the deficient safety and security conditions at the site for some time. However, the owner’s efforts have not produced sufficient results, resulting in the city seeking court intervention. The court’s decision this morning to authorize demolition validated that this is the right move.”