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Oswego plan commission deadlocks on plans for former junior high school · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Oswego plan commission deadlocks on plans for former junior high school.
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  Speaker 1: Written by Eric Shelkoff, This article is being read by
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  Speaker 1: an automated voice brought to you by Everlett. Oswego Village
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  Speaker 1: trustees will review plans to redevelop the former Trauber Junior
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  Speaker 1: High School property in Oswego without a clear recommendation from
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  Speaker 1: the village's Planning and Zoning Commission. At their August sixth meeting,
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  Speaker 1: commissioners voted three to three on the proposed rezoning for
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  Speaker 1: the land, as well as plans for the property at
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  Speaker 1: the northeast corner of Illinois Route seventy one and Washington Street.
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  Speaker 1: Plans call for a one hundred sixty two unit apartment
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  Speaker 1: and townhouse development on the property. Five three story apartment
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  Speaker 1: buildings containing a total of one hundred and twenty six
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  Speaker 1: units are being proposed along the southern half of the
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  Speaker 1: property adjacent to Route seventy one. The buildings would contain
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  Speaker 1: studio units along with one and two bedroom units. To
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  Speaker 1: the north along Franklin Street and at the entrance along
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  Speaker 1: Washington Street, six two story townhouse buildings containing thirty six
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  Speaker 1: residential units are proposed. The town homes are intended to
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  Speaker 1: provide a buffer for the single family residential units to
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  Speaker 1: the north and west. Oswego Development Services Director Rod Zenner
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  Speaker 1: told planned commissioners several residents spoke against the project during
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  Speaker 1: a public hearing. What is the impact going to be
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  Speaker 1: at that intersecution, which already has a significant amount of traffic,
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  Speaker 1: Amy McDonald as commissioners, what about the impact of Franklin
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  Speaker 1: Street and Washington Street. Those are only two lane roads.
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  Speaker 1: We're adding a significant number of cars to residential streets.
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  Speaker 1: These streets were not designed for multi housing units. Other
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  Speaker 1: residents voice concerns about the project's density. A traffic study
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  Speaker 1: showed the intersection has sufficient reserve capacity to accommodate the
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  Speaker 1: limited traffic estimated to be generated by the proposed development,
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  Speaker 1: and no roadway or traffic control improvements are required. In
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  Speaker 1: response to village trustees voicing concerns about the height and
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  Speaker 1: density of the development, the developer scaled back the plans
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  Speaker 1: for traubor Estates. Trustees, as well as Oswego Village President
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  Speaker 1: Ryan Kaufman, thought a five story building proposed as part
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  Speaker 1: of the plan was too tall, especially in comparison with
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  Speaker 1: the rest of the development. The building has been removed
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  Speaker 1: from plans and replaced with two three story apartment buildings.
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  Speaker 1: In addition, the number of units has been reduced from
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  Speaker 1: two hundred two units to one sixty two units. The
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  Speaker 1: building served as the original Trauber Junior High School until
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  Speaker 1: the current Traverbor Junior High School was built in two
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  Speaker 1: thousand and eight. The property is twelve point three four
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  Speaker 1: acres in size, with the building sitting on four acres.
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  Speaker 1: The building hasn't been fully operational since two thousand seven.
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  Speaker 1: District three hundred an eight school Superintendent Andelib Kilgati said
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  Speaker 1: there were one hundred staff members in and out of
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  Speaker 1: that building every single day, he said. Kelgati said the
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  Speaker 1: property has become an al albatross around the district's neck.
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  Speaker 1: He said the district has to spend two hundred and
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  Speaker 1: fifty thousand dollars a year for its upkeep. That does
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  Speaker 1: not include insurance costs, he said. Earlier this year, Oswego
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  Speaker 1: Village Board trustees unanimously voted to acquire the building as
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  Speaker 1: part of a redevelopment plan. At the March twenty third
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  Speaker 1: Oswego School District three hundred and eight board meeting. The
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  Speaker 1: majority of board members voted to approve a resolution transferring
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  Speaker 1: the property at sixty one Franklin Street to the Village
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  Speaker 1: of Oswego. The village will not directly pay the school
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  Speaker 1: district the two point one million dollars sale price for
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  Speaker 1: the property. We do not intend to pay at all
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  Speaker 1: for this property, as this is something that's going to
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  Speaker 1: be subject to the negotiation of the redevelopment agreement. Oswego
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  Speaker 1: Village Administrator Dandy Santo told trustees the initial intent before
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  Speaker 1: we get into negotiations is that the school district would
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  Speaker 1: be paid back for their property through the tiff increment
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  Speaker 1: generated the developer.