St. Charles denies proposal for Charles Farm development

The city of St. Charles has decided not to move forward with the review process for the proposed 2,000-unit Charles Farm development after receiving pushback from residents and neighbors about the proposal.

The city issued a statement Sept. 13 announcing it has declined to review the plans further. Because the development was still in the concept planning stages, no vote was required to deny the application and annexation request.

“After reviewing the initial concept plan and considering all the feedback received, Mayor Lora Vitek, with input from the St. Charles Plan Commission and St. Charles City Council members, advised Pulte that there was no interest to continue further review of the plan,” according to the release. “Therefore, the concept plan will not be discussed at any future public meetings.”

Hundreds of residents showed up to a Sept. 4 Plan Commission meeting to voice opposition to the plans and dozens voiced concerns that the development and its annexation into St. Charles would alter La Fox’s rural way of life and harm their community.

Atlanta-based developer Pulte Homes submitted a concept plan application and annexation request to the city for Charles Farm, a proposed 970-acre housing development consisting of a 967-unit senior living community, 846 single-family homes, 198 townhomes and 15 acres of commercial development in La Fox.

The development would have been located in Kane County’s Blackberry Township, south of Route 38, east of Brundige Road, west of Harley Road and north of Keslinger Road, between Elburn and Geneva.

The Charles Farm development plans sparked concerns from residents all over Kane County, La Fox community members and business owners as well as neighboring school districts.

In the city’s statement, Vitek thanked Pulte and said the process has been valuable to the city and for neighbors as it allowed them to reengage and better understand community interests.

“We are fortunate to have so many developers and businesses choose St. Charles as a place they want to be,” Vitek said in the release. “I believe encouraging public discussion around ideas presented is healthy for our community and integral to maintaining an open process. We heard the feedback from our residents and officials in nearby communities and their concerns and opinions were considered carefully. We have several ongoing developments and exciting opportunities in St. Charles we currently are focusing on. Dedicating the extensive amount of resources needed to make this project successful would have been challenging.”