The Oswego Village Board recently approved a concept plan for an 811-unit residential development between the area just south of the intersection of Wolf’s Crossing Road and Fifth Street and the southwest corner of Wolf’s Crossing and Roth Road.
Representatives of D.R. Horton, Inc – Midwest said the group is proposing to build 490 single-family units and 321 multi-family units on a 227-acre undeveloped site.
The builder has expanded into 105 markets across 33 states since 2002, Land Acquisition Project Manager Chris Funkhouser told trustees.
In the Chicago area, the firm has built more than 1,000 homes in communities that span from Wonder Lake in the north, Manhattan in the south, Hobart, Indiana, in the east and the Yorkville/Oswego area in the west, he said.
Funkhouser, a Yorkville alderman, said they are currently building in about 30 different communities.
He said the concept plan incorporates miles of trails to build on the village’s existing trail network.
“Over 50 acres of open space is planned using the idea of a compact community with preserved open spaces offering more housing choices,” Funkhouser said.
The developer proposes five different housing types to “create a unique, multi-generational community for every stage of life.”
Funkhouser noted the village’s comprehensive plan for the area is intended for medium-density housing.
Currently the Wolf’s Crossing corridor is full of housing development in Oswego, including Hudson Pointe, an 80-acre residential project, he said.
The developer is proposing townhomes, duplexes and single-family homes.
A park and pool with a clubhouse are planned for the central portion of the development. The developer is proposing five small “pocket parks” in the project as well.
Every neighborhood in the planned development would have its own open space element designed to meet the needs of the neighborhood while connecting to the other parts of the project and the central park, Funkhouser said.
“With current development in the Wolf’s Crossing corridor, planned improvements of Wolf’s Crossing Road and the extension of Fifth Street through this development, the property quickly became a beacon for potential,” Funkhouser said.
The plan is for development to begin on the new project in 2023.
Trustees were mindful for the potential of 200 rental properties at the planned development.
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“From our perspective, we have approved a lot. Our staff gave us almost 17,000 approved ones and another 300 in the process and neighboring communities have added rentals along Route 30. I have heard feedback from residents,” Trustee James Marter said.
“I appreciate that you seem to be heavier on the owner and less on the rental. Keep that in mind going forward,” Marter said.
“We are very cognizant of that,” Funkhouser said. “Our market research will dictate to us where we would go with that, whether it is one or two pods. Typically the rentals are around 100 units in a neighborhood.”
Rentals could potentially be townhomes or single-family cottage homes that are in high demand, he said.
The village’s Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 4 recommended approval of the concept plan.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.