River Glen of St. Charles scraps ribbon-cutting after elders plan to protest

ST. CHARLES – A scheduled ribbon-cutting at River Glen of St. Charles was canceled after news spread that elder residents, upset about having to leave, were planning to protest the event.

The St. Charles Chamber of Commerce and River Glen of St. Charles announced a ribbon-cutting to celebrate a grand reopening of the newly renovated Senior Living Independent Townhomes on Nov. 7. The event was to include a progressive tour with drinks and treats at each stop, according to posts on social media and their respective websites.

The event was canceled and a notice of the event was deleted from social media and the websites.

Jamie Douglass, daughter of one of the few remaining residents, said her mother, whose 95th birthday was the same day as the planned ribbon-cutting, was going to protest from her townhouse window.

“Too bad they canceled,” Douglass said.

About two dozen seniors left the senior living community after new owners turned the townhouses into rentals at $6,100 to $6,500 a month.

Citrine Senior Communities, a joint venture between affiliates of Citrine Investment Group and Jaybird Capital, bought the property in January, property records show. The new owners notified residents on June 29 of the conversion to rentals and those who were not going to stay had until Oct. 1 to leave, records show.

Kevin Russell, CEO of Jaybird Capital, did not respond to an email seeking comment about the canceled ribbon-cutting.

St. Charles Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Deborah Gurley said River Glen of St. Charles canceled the ribbon-cutting, but she did not know if the planned protest had anything to do with it.

“They have done nothing illegal. They are members of the Chamber,” Gurley said of River Glen of St. Charles.

“I get it that people are upset but … they are paying members and they can have a ribbon-cutting like anyone else,” Gurley said. “I talked to people who actually live there. They were not happy about it, but they were being treated fairly … and they got 75% of their initial funding back.”

Gurley said River Glen residents, who also are citizen members of the Chamber, told her they were notified in January about the change to rental and were given 10 months to decide whether to sign a rental agreement or leave.

Former residents provided a notice from River Glen officials, dated June 29, advising of the conversion to rental units, based on a clause in the contract.

“All I know is what I was told,” Gurley said.

If there had been a ribbon-cutting, 4th Ward Alderperson Bryan Wirball said he would have boycotted it in protest of how the former residents were treated.

“I do not feel it would be appropriate for me to attend and celebrate the River Glen of St. Charles Senior Living Townhomes ribbon-cutting after the displacement of so many seniors that used to call the River Glen retirement community their home,” Wirball said in a text. “There is not a lot to celebrate when there are former River Glen seniors still searching for alternative retirement housing options. It is a very unfortunate situation.”