Edwardsville officials move to halt Snell property work as permit questions arise

Edwardsville City leaders directed staff to investigate construction activity at the Snell property near QuickBooks Park and consider a temporary stop to work after officials said they could not verify a current driveway permit.

At a council meeting, the Mayor said staff had seen correspondence about a road and curb cut from an entrance on 110th Street West and asked the project manager for clarification. The Mayor told colleagues the city should "cease and desist until we get a valid permit" while staff researches permit validity, bond and inspection records and whether the administration has authority to suspend work.

The Clerk said the city has no record of a recent permit for the address, stating, "I do not show that I ever received a permit in 2023 or 2024 for that address." Council members and staff discussed a permit history dating to November 2021 and correspondence through 2022 and 2023, but said those earlier items may not establish a currently valid permit.

City staff outlined next steps: call the project manager, have engineers review proposed work (including a new median cut and turn area), check whether required bonds and inspections were posted, and determine legal remedies. The Mayor said staff aims to report back with findings within days and emphasized stopping active work first, then regrouping to present legal and technical options.

Officials stressed that temporary suspensions or administrative abatements are possible if contractors lack a valid permit or if work does not meet engineering standards. The Mayor said the city has previously suspended permits where inspections were not completed and described the immediate objective as halting construction until compliance can be confirmed.

The council did not take a formal vote on an enforcement order during the meeting; members instructed staff to research ordinances governing permit duration and suspension and to brief the council on next steps.