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Oswego grants variance to allow downtown building owner to paint rest of brick building · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Oswego grant's variants to allow downtown building owner to paint
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  rest of brick building. This article is being read by
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  an automated voice brought to you by Everlett. The owner
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  of a brick building in downtown Oswigo this month was
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  given permission to finish painting the rest of the building's exterior,
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  even though the village's rules do not allow it. Village
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  trustees unanimously approved the variants for the building, located at
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  seventy six that seven to eight Maine Saint Premier Investments
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  LLC requested the variants. The petitioner has stated that they
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  painted the brick to create a cohesive look to the structure,
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  since the top half of the building had been altered
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  over time to remove cover the brick at the second story.
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  Oswego Development Services Director Rod Zenner told village trustees, according
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  to the village's unified Development Ordinance, painting brick, limestone, or
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  other natural stone is prohibited so that the materials retain
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  their natural colors. If material was painted prior to this
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  ordinance and as a legal nonconformity, surfaces may be repainted
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  as part of normal maintenance. According to the ordinance, Village
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  trustees approved the village's Unified Development Ordinance in April twenty
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  twenty four. Zenner said the rules were put in place
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  not only for esthetic reasons, but because of the durability
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  of brick. Brick can last hundreds of years while paint
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  does not, he said. He said Premier Investments had started
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  painting the structure as part of an exterior maintenance project
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  and did not know the village's rules. Staff discovered that
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  the brick was being painted in violation of the UDO
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  requirements and contacted the property owner. Zenner said the petitioner
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  was not aware of this restriction in the code. By
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  the time staff and the petitioner discussed the situation, the
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  painting of the brick was nearly completed, and asking the
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  village for a variance to allow the rest of the
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  building to be painted. Premier Investments LLC said the building
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  was in severe disrepair inside and out when it was
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  purchased from the previous owners. The building is the cornerstone
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  of the downtown area and it is highly visible to
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  traffic and visitors coming to downtown Oswego, the petitioner said,
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  and asking for the variants, making the outside fresh and
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  new will help bring new visitors and businesses to the downtown.
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  The petitioner also said the outside repairs to the building
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  and painting the brick will help keep patrons safe as
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  they walk through the downtown. Village trustee Karen Novy thought
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  granting the variants would be the appropriate thing to do
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  at this point. I don't want to put the undue
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  burden of cost on the owner of the building, Novie said.
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  Village trustee Richelle Kadig says she would like more discussion
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  about the ordinance and its intent in the future. I'm
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  kind of torn here for a couple of reasons, Canig
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  said during discussion of the issue. Having had conversations with
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  some of the tenants of the building, I was assured
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  that there was no nefarious thing going on here. It
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  was really just trying to beautify the building and have
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  it looked better and have continuity between that shorter building
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  and this building. At the same time, Kanig said she
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  was concerned about buildings in downtown Oswego with eight colors
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  of bricks.