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

Health & Fitness

City completes purchase of VFW

The City will remove the existing building to expand parking by October 1, 2013.

On June 19, 2013, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #5036 and the City of St. Charles completed the transaction to transfer ownership of the building and adjacent parking lot to the City of St. Charles.

The property is located at 119 N. 3rd Street in downtown St. Charles. You can view a photo of the property here. Or, you can view a street view from GoogleMaps here.

Representatives of the VFW approached the City of St. Charles in October, 2011 about their interest in selling the building due to increasing maintenance and operating costs and a declining membership base.

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

Colonel Duane Buttell, a representative of the VFW, said that the organization decided a sale is in the long-term best interest of the Post and that the City was the preferred purchaser of the property. “The City of St. Charles has been an avid supporter of the VFW and veterans in St. Charles.  We are pleased that an agreement could be reached that will benefit the residents of St. Charles and the members of the VFW.  We will use the proceeds from the sale to continue the VFW’s long-standing commitment to supporting veterans and their families.”

The North 3rd Street area has previously been identified as an area with constrained parking.  A study conducted by the Downtown St. Charles Partnership in 2011 identified that public parking lots in the North 3rd Street area were more than 90% full during peak periods, making it difficult for some customers to find parking.  It was also reported that patrons of downtown businesses were parking in nearby neighborhoods, generating concern from residents.  This purchase will allow the City to expand public parking in the North 3rd Street area and provide greater convenience for area business owners, employees, residents, and visitors.

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

In the next few weeks, the City will remove the existing building to expand parking in this area of the downtown. The new parking lot is expected to contain 82 spaces and will be completed by October 1, 2013. You can view the plan for the parking lot here.

The City’s draft Comprehensive Plan calls for future redevelopment in the area, including the potential to construct a public parking structure.  The City’s existing land holdings, coupled with the acquisition of the VFW site, will ensure that the City plays a critical role in any redevelopment that may occur in the future.

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?