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Decades-old St. Charles home plan moves forward; storage area next

A St. Charles man who first was issued a permit for a home addition in 1975 finalized an agreement with the city Wednesday to complete the project this summer.

Cliff McIlvaine also must submit plans to the city by the end of the month to erect a storage facility to house construction materials, such as a 25-by 24-foot, 7-foot-tall stack of bricks.

McIlvaine declined to elaborate on his plans outside court Wednesday, but his attorney said the facility could have an area in excess of 600 square feet, which is about the size of a 2½-car garage.

"It will probably be bigger than (600 square feet) actually," said attorney Phil Piscopo. "He's going to put up a nice facility that will store his items out of sight and the city has indicated it's open to that."

The city sued McIlvaine in late 2010 in an effort to get him to complete the project, citing code violations and public safety concerns.

McIlvaine and the city reached an agreement in 2011 for him to finish the project by September 2012.

But he missed numerous deadlines and refused to connect to the city water supply, which landed him in jail for two weeks for contempt of court.

In May 2013, a judge gave the city permission to take over parts of the project, such as installing an asphalt roof, and to bill McIlvaine for it.

The project has crept along slowly since then, and even if McIlvaine finishes by July he could still be on the hook for some $64,000 in fines, plus attorney fees.

Piscopo said if his client falls behind on this pact, he will ask for an extension.

"We would be proactive with the city," Piscopo said. "He intends to get right to work. He's relieved he doesn't have to come to court anymore."

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  Cliff McIlvaine of St. Charles must submit plans for a storage facility to the city by the end of April and then will erect the structure to house building materials. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
  Under a new agreement, Cliff McIlvaine of St. Charles must submit plans by the end of the month to erect a storage facility for construction materials. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
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