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Oswego District 308 moving ahead to transfer property for development of former junior high · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Oswego District three toh eight moving ahead to transfer property
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  Speaker 1: for development of former Junior High or waits and written
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  Speaker 1: by Eric Shelkoff. This article is being read by an
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  Speaker 1: automated voice brought to you by Everlett. Oswego School District
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  Speaker 1: three oh eight is taking another step in the possible
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  Speaker 1: redevelopment of the former Truber Junior High School property in Oswego.
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  Speaker 1: During the February twenty third Oswego School Board meeting, board
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  Speaker 1: members heard the details of what the transfer of the
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  Speaker 1: property to the Village of Oswego would involve. Oswego Village
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  Speaker 1: trustees in December unanimously approved a concept plan for a
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  Speaker 1: one hundred and sixty one unit apartment and townhouse development
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  Speaker 1: to be developed on the property. The property is located
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  Speaker 1: at sixty one Franklin Sat, near the intersection of Washington
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  Speaker 1: Street in US Route seventy one. Because you're both government agencies,
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  Speaker 1: you are able to make a transfer of property between
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  Speaker 1: you on such terms as you deem appropriate. Attorney Stuart
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  Speaker 1: Witt told school board members during the meeting. Next month,
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  Speaker 1: the village is set to adopt an ordinance declaring its
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  Speaker 1: need to acquire the property for redevelopment purposes. After that,
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  Speaker 1: the school board will consider a resolution indicating it no
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  Speaker 1: longer needs the property for school purposes. Following that, the
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  Speaker 1: two bodies will enter into an agreement where the school
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  Speaker 1: board would agree to sell the property and the village
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  Speaker 1: would agree to buy the property. The village will then
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  Speaker 1: turn around and try to work out a redevelopment agreement
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  Speaker 1: with the developer of the property. Witch said that redevelopment
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  Speaker 1: agreement will have to please the developer, it will have
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  Speaker 1: to please the village, and it will have to please you.
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  Speaker 1: And if anyone of you are unhappy with the agreement,
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  Speaker 1: everything is off and you go back to square one.
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  Speaker 1: There is no commitment made here. You always have the
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  Speaker 1: opportunity to bail out. During the meeting, school board members
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  Speaker 1: unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement with the village for a
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  Speaker 1: financial analysis to be done on redevelopment plans for the
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  Speaker 1: former school property. The property is located in a tax
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  Speaker 1: increment financing district. When a municipality creates a tiff district,
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  Speaker 1: its property assessment is frozen and new or increase taxes
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  Speaker 1: generated by improvements or used to pay for improvements or
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  Speaker 1: other development incentives we are required to do some due diligence.
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  Speaker 1: District three oh eight chief financial officer and chief school
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  Speaker 1: business official Rafael Obafemi told Oswego School Board members on
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  Speaker 1: February ninth, we have to make a decision that's in
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  Speaker 1: the best interest of the folks that we represent here.
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  Speaker 1: He noted the project will be paid for in large
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  Speaker 1: part by TIFF funding. Both the village and District three
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  Speaker 1: eight will benefit from the consultant's work, Obafemi said, as
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  Speaker 1: the analysis will help future decision making on the potential
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  Speaker 1: redevelopment of the property. Ultimately, the goal is to find
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  Speaker 1: an objective source to help us get to the other
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  Speaker 1: side Dipter's three oz eight School superintendent and Dolla Kilgotti
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  Speaker 1: said the village in the school district each will pay
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  Speaker 1: Johnson Research Group Inc. Ten thousand dollars for the services.
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  Speaker 1: JRG specializes in tax increment financing as well as urban
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  Speaker 1: revitalization and planning. In response to village trustees voicing concerns
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  Speaker 1: about the height and density of the development, the developer
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  Speaker 1: scaled back the plans for trauber Estates. Trustees as well
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  Speaker 1: as Oswego Village President Ryan Kaufman, thought a five story
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  Speaker 1: building proposed as part of the plan was too tall,
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  Speaker 1: especially in comparison with the rest of the development. The
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  Speaker 1: building has been removed and replaced with two three story
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  Speaker 1: apartment buildings. In addition, the number of units has been
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  Speaker 1: reduced from two then so on two units to one
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  Speaker 1: hundred and sixty one units. As proposed, five three story
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  Speaker 1: apartment buildings containing one hundred and twenty five units would
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  Speaker 1: be built as part of the latest plan. Also proposed
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  Speaker 1: our six to two story owner occupied townhouse buildings containing
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  Speaker 1: thirty six units. This is not my favorite project. Village
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  Speaker 1: trustee Karen McCarthy lying said, prior to voting to approve
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  Speaker 1: the concept plan. I don't want to stand in the
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  Speaker 1: way of helping the school district financially. It's not my
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  Speaker 1: ideal project. It's not as creative as I would have
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  Speaker 1: liked it. It's not as original as I would have liked.
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  Speaker 1: But I cannot in good faith stand in the way
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  Speaker 1: of saving the school district money and helping them in
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  Speaker 1: the long run. The building served as the original Trouber
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  Speaker 1: Junior High School until the current Trauber Junior High School
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  Speaker 1: was built in two thousand and eight. The property is
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  Speaker 1: twelve point thirty four acres in size, with the building
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  Speaker 1: sitting on four acres. It hasn't been fully operational since
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  Speaker 1: two thousand and seven. Kel Gotti said there were one
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  Speaker 1: hundred staff members in and out of that building every
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  Speaker 1: single day, he said. Kel Gotty said the property has
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  Speaker 1: become an albatross around the district's neck. He said the
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  Speaker 1: district has to sp than two hundred and fifty thousand
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  Speaker 1: dollars a year for its upkeep that does not include
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  Speaker 1: insurance costs. He said. A plan in twenty eighteen to
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  Speaker 1: turn the building into a senior housing complex fell through.
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  Speaker 1: Longtime Oswego resident Don Draxler, who lives on Garfield Street,
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  Speaker 1: was one of several residents who spoke against the proposal.
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  Speaker 1: He said the intersection of US Route seventy one and
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  Speaker 1: Plainfield Road Washington Street already is extremely congested. Oswego High
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  Speaker 1: School also is located near the intersection. Kaufman noted a
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  Speaker 1: traffic study will have to be done before the project
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  Speaker 1: can move forward. The traffic study is going to be
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  Speaker 1: hugely impactful, he said after the meeting. If it comes
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  Speaker 1: back and it shows that it would be catastrophic to
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  Speaker 1: traffic in the area, we're not going to let it
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  Speaker 1: go forward. But if it comes back and it shows
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  Speaker 1: it would have a nominal or minimal impact to the
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  Speaker 1: traffic in the area, then that is no longer a concern.