Debris Cleanup Begins at Lexington Club Site

In what must be good news for some St. Charles residents, city officials announced debris cleanup will begin at the old Applied Composites site over the next two weeks.

The site, which has been closed for several years, will possibly be redeveloped into a new housing complex, called Lexington Club, which will include single-family homes and town homes. 

Neighbors have complained on multiple occassions about the amount of debris left behind when the old Applied Composited structure was knocked down. The contractor, Lexington Homes, hired a crew to remove much of the debris. However, the building foundations will remain and some clean concrete materials that can be reused for future development of the property will be stockpiled near the back of the site, according to a city report.

City officials said the crews hauling debris will water the area repeatedly in an attempt to control dust.

This week, trucks began hauling material away from the property and are using 7th Street and 9th Street to exit the site.

In May the developers of the proposed Lexington Club neighborhood reduced the number of units in the planned project in revised plans presented to city leaders. The proposed changes include the removal of 12 proposed row homes from the northeast corner of the property, reducing the number of units to 130. Additionally the developers proposed some improvements to the streets around the project area and repair sidewalks that border the project. The changes were in reaction to questions and concerns raised by committee members and members of the public at a February meeting, said Henry Stillwell, attorney for Lexington Homes, the project developers.

Residents living in the area of the proposed development have balked at the idea of Lexington Club. In January numerous residents attended the committee meeting to voice their displeasure in the proposed project. The next month a study presented to St. Charles alderman showsed the proposed housing development can qualify for help from the city to pay project costs through a tax-increment financing district, which would help generate funds to pay for site improvements. Lexington Club's developers would be reimbursed for incurred expenses—up to $4.9 million for the life of the TIF and specifically for demolition and site remediation.

Before developers begin construction they still have to determine if the project meets guidelines for funding by Tax Increment Financing due to the proposed changes. City Finance Director Chris Minick said staff is in the process of evaluating how the reduction of housing units would impact the revenue stream from the development and how that would affect any TIF involvement.

Prior to approving the amended plans, committee members said residents will still have plenty of time to voice concerns before the project reaches final approval, which could be by summer’s end.