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📸 Credit: Project staff report document
Pulte Homes’ plan to build 105 homes on the site previously occupied by Applied Composites is on the agenda to be discussed at the Oct. 19 St. Charles Committee of the Whole meeting.
The 27-acre site, located northwest of downtown St. Charles, has been vacant since its factory buildings came down around 2010. The city’s Plan Commission unanimously recommended approval in September, but a group of residents is pushing back on the project.
Here’s what to know:
Homes and prices: The plan calls for 93 single-family homes and 12 townhomes between N. 5th and N. 12th streets, north of State Street. In a previous city meeting, Pulte said base home prices would start around $530,000 for townhomes and roughly $600,000 to $635,000 for single-family homes.
Space and amenities: About 8.6 acres along State Street Creek would become stormwater ponds and open space, with a new walking path running from 6th Street to 12th Street through Belgium Town Park.
Why some neighbors object: A resident launched a Change.org petition (now with nearly 250 signatures) opposing the project, saying it would clear a wooded site, displace wildlife, and add traffic downtown at Main Street and Route 31. The project page shows that 10 residents spoke at the Sept. 22 public hearing or submitted written comments, raising concerns about neighborhood character, property values, taxes, tree removal, and traffic. One wrote, “Stop turning St. Charles into Naperville.”
What happens to the trees: A 2010 survey counted 977 trees on the property. City documents show that the majority would be removed for grading and construction. The plan aims to keep some tree clusters along State Street Creek. The 2010 survey indicated box elder, cottonwood, and invasive Siberian elm were among the most common species.
After the Plan Commission’s vote, Pulte revised its plans to add 60 more trees in the stormwater areas and clear invasive species south of State Street Creek. The plan calls for 153 new parkway trees as well.
According to Pulte, the site’s past industrial uses left contamination that requires cleanup, and the company says it has already started that work. That cleanup has sparked concern for Julie Anderson, the organizer behind the petition.
“I am worried about what I could be exposed to from the environmental cleanup considering I live so close to the old factory," she said.
A traffic study submitted by the developer estimates 74 added car trips in the morning rush hour and 96 in the evening, spread across several streets. It concluded no road changes are needed. The city’s traffic engineering consultant agreed but requested some technical comments be addressed.
Pulte said it plans to pay about $239,000 into the city’s Housing Trust Fund instead of building affordable units.
Read more about the proposed project in this staff report.
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