This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

St. Charles VFW Sells Building, Land for $800,000; City Plans More Parking

The city of St. Charles will spend another $200,000 to demolish the building and redevelop the site as a parking lot, which would be completed by October.

The St. Charles City Council voted Monday night to approve the $800,000 purchase of a 5,600-square-foot building and adjacent 40-space parking lot along North 3rd Street that the city intends to use to improve parking in the area on the near Northwest Side.

The city hopes to close on the purchase of rd St., on June 14, after negotiations began in October 2011, when Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5036 approached the city about selling its property.

After Monday’s City Council meeting, the city issued a press release trumpeting the purchase of the 35,000-square-foot site as a coup for future parking improvements in an area where parking is constrained. The city plans to spend another $200,000 to demolish the building and redevelop the site as a parking lot.

Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“This purchase will allow the city to expand parking in the North 3rd Street area and provide greater convenience for area business owners, employees, residents, and visitors,” Mayor Donald DeWitte said.

City officials said the funding for the purchase and redevelopment of the site for parking will come from funds that were not needed for other capital projects, including the Red Gate Bridge, which opened to vehicles in December.

Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The city, in its press release, pointed out that the area already had been identified by the Downtown St. Charles Partnership as an area with limited parking. A 2011 study by the organization showed public parking lots in that area were more than 90 percent full during peak periods of the day, making it difficult for some customers to find parking in the area. The city noted that in some cases, customers were parking in adjacent neighborhoods, posing concerns for residents in those areas.

The city plans to tear down the building and use the site for a parking lot with about 85 spaces. In the release, the city also points to the 2013 draft Comprehensive Plan, which envisions redevelopment in the area, which could include a public parking structure.

The release states that Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5036 wanted to sell the site because the building, constructed in 1952 and expanded in 1986, is aging and requiring increasing operations and maintenance costs at the time when the organization’s membership is in decline.

Col. Duane Buttell, representing the organization, said the sale is in the long-term interests of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5036, and that the organization preferred that the city purchase the property. “We are pleased that an agreement could be reached that will benefit the residents of St. Charles and the members of the VFW,” Buttell said. “We will use the proceeds of the sale to continue the VFW’s longstanding commitment to supporting veterans and their families.”

“I am proud of the long history of the VFW’s service to St. Charles veterans and am pleased that this transaction will provide additional resources for the group to continue its mission,” DeWitte said.

The June 14 closing will give the VFW time to complete some events it already had scheduled and to remove its belongings from the site. The release states that demolition of the building will begin soon after the closing, with an eye toward completing the new parking lot by Oct. 1.

It is the city’s second property purchase since mid-December, when the council agreed to buy the former , with hopes of partnering with the , to provide it with additional facilities.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?