The issue of apartments and whether to allow more of them in the village has become a hot topic for the Oswego Village Board.
Village trustees recently approved a resolution that sets housing targets for diversified housing, and also approved revisions to a development agreement and a rezoning for Tuscany Station, a development set to include 13 three-story apartment buildings plus a commercial area on land that may include a future Metra commuter station in the village.
Concept plans for Tuscany Station, planned for 98.3 acres on the west side of Orchard Road north of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway, were originally approved by the village in 2014 and revised in 2020.
Trustees recently voted 5-1 in favor of revisions to the development agreement and rezoning at the request of the current developer. Trustee Brian Thomas was the only board member to vote against the agreement.
Thomas has been vocal about the number of development projects the board has approved in the last couple of years, specifically those for rental properties.
Village President Troy Parlier has said the Tuscany Station development will be outstanding for Oswego, including generating revenues for the school district.
Parlier said the concept plan was originally approved in 2014 and the board has only made it better.
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He said Thomas originally made the motion and voted in favor of the concept plans in 2020.
Thomas acknowledged having made a motion to approve a concept plan for Tuscany Station in 2020.
“I did make the motion. I thought it was a good spot for it. I maybe still do. But I’ll be darned if I am going to approve any more rentals knowing what’s going up and down Wolf’s Crossing Road,” Thomas said. “I am not going to approve any more rentals until what is going on now is fully developed.”
Thomas is running against Parlier in the Republican primary for village president on Feb. 28.
Trustee Terry Olson said he would be opposed to a moratorium on apartment projects.
Trustee James Marter asked the village’s legal counsel to reiterate whether it is legal to restrict housing types in the village.
If a developer comes in with a multi-family residential project that is within the zoning code, the village has no authority to restrict it, Oswego Village Attorney Karl Ottosen said.
“You don’t have authority to say you cannot bring residential rentals,” Ottosen said.
“While I understand some people have an objection to apartments, I don’t see a reason to even remotely put us in the threat of litigation costing the village hundreds of thousands of dollars and that’s just for the settlements,” Marter said.
Marter said he has no issue with rental properties.
“I rented before and my parents rented before I was born and my friends have rented. I don’t want to put us in the threat of lawsuits,” Marter said.
Parlier didn’t comment on the apartment issue but he did respond to the board’s 4-2 vote of approval on a diversified housing resolution in December.
“Typically I don’t respond but I will about transparency. You can’t get more transparent about passing a resolution. We had a couple of “no” votes – they thought it was optics. It clearly states every (housing) percentage in there,” Parlier said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.