The Oswego Village Board recently approved a revised concept plan with fewer units for a proposed residential project on the former Traughber Junior High School site in Oswego.
The development is proposed for a 12.34-acre property – owned by Oswego-based School District 308 – at the northeast corner of Route 71 and Washington Street close to the village’s downtown.
The former Traughber Junior High School building on the site would be razed as part of the proposed project, now set to feature 161 apartments and townhomes.
School District 308 officials said the Traughber building has remained in disrepair, causing the district to invest more than $250,000 annually for maintenance and other expenses.
Village staff was directed to negotiate a redevelopment agreement between the village, school district and the developer for the project, called Traughber Estates.
JM Development – a joint venture – originally presented a proposal to the Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission in September about the project at the former school site. That plan featured 239 residential units. However, the commission recommended denial of the plan based on the density.
The developer modified the concept plan based on public feedback before bringing the proposal on Oct. 21 to the Oswego Village Board, which has the final say on the project. That plan featured 202 units. Trustees were not receptive to a five-story building proposed for the site.
The developer revised the site plan based on the initial reviews, village officials said.
“The most significant change is that the proposed five-story building along Route 71 has been removed and replaced with two three-story apartment buildings,” Oswego Development Services Director Rod Zenner said in a report to trustees.
The overall number of units has been reduced by 41 units from the October plan and there are 78 fewer units compared to the proposal rejected by the Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission in September, village officials said, with the number of units now set at 161.
The concept plan features two types of housing. Along the south side of the site adjacent to Route 71 and centrally located on the site are five three-story apartment buildings with a total of 125 units. There would also be six two-story owner-occupied townhome buildings along the north and west side of the development with a total of 36 units.
Trustee Karin McCarthy-Lange said she would vote in favor of the concept plan even though she said it’s not the ideal project.
“This is not my favorite project but I don’t want to stand in the way of helping the school district financially,” McCarthy-Lange said.
Developers told trustees they are willing to work with the village to increase the scope of a traffic study to address concerns within the immediate area.
School District 308 has marketed the property planned for the project over the years. Several potential buyers were interested in reuse of the site, including Resurrection Church of the Fox Valley in 2019, which has a storefront church near Fox Valley Mall in Aurora.
The church, however, determined it would be too expensive to remodel the former school on the property.
Oswegoland Park District was not interested in the site either, village officials said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
