Proposal to build industrial park on former Pheasant Run golf course moving forward

Plans to redevelop the former Pheasant Run Resort golf course as an industrial park continue to move forward.

Alderman at Monday’s St. Charles City Council Planning and Development Committee meeting unanimously recommended approval of a zoning map amendment as well as a preliminary plat of subdivision for the proposed industrial park. The plans will now go to the full City Council for approval.

The 84.6 acre golf course is located south of the former Pheasant Run Resort buildings, adjacent to DuPage Airport. GSI Family Investments of Arizona LLC purchased the golf course from the DuPage Airport Authority for $11.275 million and proposes to build four industrial buildings encompassing more than one million square feet of space along with 13 acres of stormwater detention.

In 2015, a concept plan was presented for residential use of the golf course. The DuPage Airport Authority objected to the residential land use, which led to the DAA filing for condemnation of the property.

DAA took ownership of the golf course In 2017 as a part of the settlement of the lawsuit and placed a restrictive covenant over the entire resort property that prohibits any residential uses. Prior to the resort closure in 2020, the golf course continued to be operated by the resort under a lease agreement.

Pheasant Run Resort closed its doors March 2020 following a failed attempt to auction off the resort. The owner/president of Perfect Plastic Printing, located at 311 and 345 Kautz Road in St. Charles, wrote a letter to the St. Charles Plan Commission earlier this year to express his concerns about the proposed plans.

The proposed development has the capacity to accommodate 235 trucks at any given time, according to the site plan. First Ward Alderman Ron Silkaitis voiced concerns about the impact the additional truck traffic could have on Kautz Road.

“We’re saying we don’t need any additional work or improvements to Kautz Road, but if there’s more truck traffic, that could make that necessary,” he said. “That’s not something we’re thinking about now. I’m just speculating, that’s all I’m doing. Ultimately, it would be up to the taxpayers to fix the road, because we didn’t know exactly how many trucks would be on there.”