Former Pheasant Run Owners Now Face $6K In Fines Per Day

ST. CHARLES, IL — A St. Charles administrative adjudication officer found the owners of the former Pheasant Run Resort liable for building code violations during a hearing Friday, which means they now may be fined as much as $6,000 per day, the Daily Herald is reporting.

The eight violations, which each have a $750 per day price tag, include: failing to maintain a fire protection system; having an accumulation of garbage and rubbish; having unsafe structures and equipment; failing to demolish unsafe property; failing to maintain interior and exterior structures and exterior property areas, according to the Daily Herald. Officer Sam Bonilla said during a Friday hearing that the owners are not doing enough to make sure people stay out of the shuttered buildings.

According to the article, the owners of the property said they did not receive a detailed list of what needs to be done to bring the buildings up to code, and also postponed conducting its own structural evaluation due to the possibility that the buildings may be demolished, said Patrick Griffin, an attorney for St. Charles Resort LLC.

• City Wants Former Pheasant Run Demolished: Officials
  

A fire in a building at the former resort in August, the second in 15 months at the shuttered Pheasant Run, prompted city officials to issue a 15-day notice of intent to sue for demolition of the property "as a matter of public safety," city officials said.

• Blaze Breaks Out Again At Former Pheasant Run Resort

The Pheasant Run Resort has been closed since early 2020, and the property is owned by Miami Beach, Florida-based Saint Charles Resort, LLC.

Since the resort closed, city officials have been working with the property owner "to improve safety, security, and overall conditions on the site," according to the news release.

On May 21, 2022, two teens set paper on fire at two separate locations in a building at the former resort and then left the area, according to authorities. This past year, the teens, a 17-year-old Carol Stream boy and a 15-year-old Wheaton boy, pleaded guilty to felony arson charges and were sentenced to two years of probation.

They also were ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and a fire safety program, according to the Daily Herald.

• Teens Sentenced In Pheasant Run Arson Case

After the May 2022 fire, the city began enforcing code violations and requirements in an effort to improve site conditions, which "prompted the owner to clear the site of debris," according to city officials.

The city contained to press the property owner to address other code violations at the site, but did not see much progress in addressing those violations, city officials said last month.

“This is a matter of public safety, as well as the safety of our police and fire first responders,” said St. Charles Mayor Lora Vitek. “We have been pressing the property owner to remedy the deficient safety and security conditions at the site; however, the owner’s efforts have not produced sufficient results. Now we are taking more aggressive measures to prompt swift action. We want to see all of the vacant buildings demolished, public safety addressed, and the site cleared for redevelopment.”

Currently, all of the buildings at the facility are vacant, and there are no businesses being run out of the property, fire officials told Patch last month.

Griffin said during the Friday hearing that if the city proceeds with the demolition lawsuit against St. Charles Resort LLC, the owner won't oppose the buildings being torn down, according to the Daily Herald.