The Oswego Village Board recently voted to deny a special use permit for a proposed self-storage facility at the southwest corner of Lewis Drive and Orchard Road in Oswego on the basis it wouldn’t fit in with the growing commercial corridor there.
Petitioner Phil McAlister had proposed to build a self-storage facility on a 7.5-acre parcel near the Orchard Way development which is designated for commercial retail and services uses as well as “experiential retail” such as the Whitetail Golf Dome.
The proposed site would have had six storage structures and a main parking lot. Such uses generally require a special use permit within general manufacturing and regional business districts, village officials said.
The intention is to have commercial retail and service uses throughout the Orchard Way development, Oswego Development Services Director Rod Zenner said in a report to trustees.
“These uses generate traffic and serve as a center for commercial activity that can provide cross-activity between the various commercial uses,” Zenner said.
This includes the existing Jewel and Walgreens as well as two banks, medical offices and several restaurants, he said.
“The latest trend in commercial uses are experiential retail where patrons can go and experience an event or activity. In Orchard Way, that type of use is provided by the Whitetail Gold Dome where customers can eat or drink while also experiencing the activity of hitting golf balls,” Zenner said.
Trustees had a choice to concur with staff’s recommendation to deny a special use permit or grant the petitioner’s request for approval.
Village staff recommended denial, while the Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission forwarded a recommendation for approval.
“The way self-storage is going right now, it used to be a product that people thought of as an industrial product or manufacturing-zoned product. That’s not the case anymore,” McAlister said.
“This isn’t your father’s self-storage,” he said. “Traditionally these are thought of as old, ugly boxes that should be tucked away in industrial or manufacturing areas, but the architecture is getting better and we create beautiful landscaping plans.”
There is a shortage of self-storage facilities in the area, he said.
He said the project would generate $80,000 to $90,000 in annual tax revenues to the village and not generate students to the school system.
Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman said his preference is for commercial retail in the location.
“I think this is a prime location on Orchard, and we know Orchard is a fast-growing corridor,” Kauffman said.
“It is a product I think we do need in Oswego. I have a problem with the location,” Trustee Rachelle Koenig said, encouraging the petitioner to find another location for a self-storage facility in the village.
She was concerned it could potentially set a precedent as well.
“If we start approving things to fill space, we could then set a precedent for other boards to start approving things to fill space. The reason for the comprehensive plan is intentionality,” she said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
