Wildlife & Environment
27 acres of land, will be demolished and turned into overpriced homes, each on less than a traditional 50×50 lot. Other than the overpriced home pricetag, there’s another price St. Charles will have to pay. It’s the cost of tearing down trees, some older than 150 years old, and the cost of disrupting the established wildlife currently living there. Below, the image to the left is the current aerial view of the location. The image to the right is the proposed concept – essentially removing all trees located on the West side of the location.
Pulte Homes to Preserve Abandoned Factory instead of Trees
Preservation
Property owners within 250 feet of the proposed plan received a notice regarding a town hall meeting, held on April 21, 2026, to discuss the proposed development. The satellite view of the Western part of the land currently stands as a beautiful forested area with wetlands and an abandoned factory near the center of the lot plan. We are a community full of abundant wildlife; from our river, forest preserves, nature walks and bike paths. Pulte Homes development plan does consist of preserving one thing – the abandoned factory building. Trees and wildlife are expendable. Their renderings and drawings did little to express the preservation of the forest or wildlife. Instead, their proposed plan plans to plant a few trees here and there, but we will have to wait another 150 years to see the wildlife population and ecosystem thrive as it is now. Trees are an ecosystem’s core.
The quote shown to the left is from the April 21, 2026 initial plan meeting minutes.
The Environmental Cost
For those that currently live on Dean Street, State Street and surrounding roads, they see an abundance of wildlife. Coyotes run with their packs near the wetlands and forested area, deer have strolled over from the forest preserve, there have been sightings of groundhogs, and an incredible number of different species of birds. This wonderful place they call ‘home’ will be demolished, as many of them live in the forested area.
When one disrupts local vegetation, we affect everything that comes from it. The birds, the coyotes and deer and ducks will have to find new homes. The beautiful sounds of life we hear each Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter morning on Dean and State Streets will become a distant fairytale memory.
The quote shown to the left is from the April 21, 2026 initial plan meeting minutes.
Open the Conversation
Pulte homes did not open the conversation to relocation of the trees to preserve them and the wildlife who live in and around their branches. If they proposed a plan with half the amount of homes, each with a generous plot of land, while working with teams to preserve old trees and wildlife – they may have my vote.
But the conversations regarding trees and wildlife left us with more questions than answers – but hey, they have so many different colors and styles of houses to choose from!