The Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday night will review a concept plan for a proposed residential development near the Fox River.
Representatives for Property Addon are proposing to build 20 townhomes and 40 condominiums on about 6.7 acres of vacant land on the east side of Route 31 just north of River Run Boulevard near the Fox River.
The site would require annexation to the village and rezoning, village officials said.
The property is directly adjacent to the Fox River in an area designated as a downtown district, Oswego Development Services Director Rod Zenner said in a report to the commission.
“This downtown district does not identify any density or lot size guidelines as they are not appropriate for downtown development. The intent of this district is to establish development that creates a pedestrian scale for retail and homes,” Zenner said. “Densities tend to be higher in downtown areas to create a population that is within walking distances to retail and restaurants that the village is working to attract to the downtown.”
The developer proposes to build the townhome units in five buildings on the west side of the site near Route 31.
The condominium building would be located to the east closer to the Fox River, Zenner said.
“Half of the condo units will directly face the river while the others will face west inwards towards the development,” he said.
The overall height of the condominium building has not been provided as it is a concept plan, he said. However, staff can assume that the height would be in the range of 50-80 feet based on typical construction, according to Zenner.
Zenner does specify in another section of the report that the proposed condominium units are shown as being in a five-story structure with the street level reserved for parking and the four upper floors containing residential units.
“By comparison, the single-family residential home located directly to the south is approximately 32-38 feet in height. The senior housing project adjacent to Village Hall has a height of 42.5 feet,” Zenner said.
“What helps the impact of the height of the condo building is that the property slopes down from Route 31 to the river. There is about a 20-foot drop in elevation from Route 31 to the foundation of the condo building, reducing its visual impact along Route 31,” he said.
Village staff is supportive of the proposed development, according to the report.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
