Emmaus Homes won City Council approval Tuesday night of conditional-use permits for six existing group homes in six different wards in St. Charles.

Emmaus had been operating those homes without the permits, a situation the council learned of in December when it granted a conditional-use permit to Emmaus for a group home at 3345 Town and Country Lane.

Including those seven, Emmaus will have at least a dozen group homes in St. Charles for developmentally disabled residents. Conditional-use permits aren't required for at least four Emmaus group homes in St. Charles because they were established before the 2005 passage of an ordinance requiring the permits, and thus were grandfathered in.

In approving applications for the six homes Tuesday, the council voted to waive the $150 permit fee when Emmaus re-applies for the permits each year.

Councilman Dave Beckering, Ward 7, said the group home in his ward had fallen into disrepair because the maintenance company had changed. The council added an amendment requiring group home owners to notify the city when they change contractors.

"To the best of my knowledge, the only (Emmaus) home we had a problem with was (at 2812 Park Ave.) and that's when they changed contractors," Beckering said during the meeting.

Council President Mike Klinghammer, Ward 8, said the best way to keep group homes from becoming an eyesore is to have residents of those neighborhoods inform city officials if that happens.

"I want to hear from (Emmaus') neighbors," Klinghammer said. "They are the best source for knowing if there are issues. We have a one-year time frame. We want Emmaus to be good neighbors and fit into their neighborhoods."

During a hearing conducted by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission in November, several residents said they feared that allowing group homes in their neighborhoods would decrease the value of their homes and that their neighborhoods would be overtaken by rental homes.

In O'Fallon, group homes cannot be within one mile of each other.  In St. Peters, group homes cannot be closer than 2,500 feet. St. Charles has no such density requirement. The six group homes approved Tuesday can house a combined total of 22 residents.

The permits were approved for homes at 209 Canary Lane (up to three residents), 2812 Park Ave. (three residents), 1016 Washington St. (four residents), 905 S. Sixth St. (five residents), 2907 Droste Road (four residents) and 116 Briarcliff Drive (three residents).