Industrial park proposal for 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 and a preliminary plat of subdivision for the proposed industrial park.

Plans now go to the full city council for approval.

The 84.6-acre golf course is situated south of the former Pheasant Run Resort buildings, next to DuPage Airport. GSI Family Investments of Arizona LLC purchased the golf course from the DuPage Airport Authority for about $11.3 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 airport authority objected to the residential land use and filed to condemn the property.

The DAA took ownership of the golf course in 2017 as a part of the lawsuit settlement and placed a restrictive covenant over the entire resort property prohibiting any residential uses.

Pheasant Run Resort closed its doors in March of 2020 after a failed attempt to auction off the resort. Before its closure, the golf course was operated by the resort under a lease agreement.

The owner/president of Perfect Plastic Printing 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.