The Oswego Village Board in a 4-1 vote approved a special use permit to allow an outdoor cricket stadium to be built in Oswego that eventually could hold 24,000 fans.
Chakra 360, owned by Oswego resident Paresh Patel, plans to develop Breybourne Cricket Stadium and other amenities at a site on the northwest corner of Tuscany Trail and Orchard Road in the village. The project would be built in four phases, according to village officials.
The plan also includes a restaurant and hotel at the now-vacant 33-acre site.
The total project cost is approximately $100 million, Patel told trustees. Oswego officials said the development will be funded with private money, and that the village is not funding the project.
Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman acknowledged some residents are concerned about the potential impact the project will have on the community.
“Some of the residents are going to be unhappy but it is important to me and the rest of us that we are able to work to bridge any divide and mend fences with anybody who may not be in support so that we can have as many people satisfied who live in this community as possible,” Kauffman said.
Voting in favor of the special use permit on Nov. 7 were Trustees Jennifer Jones Sinnot, Karin McCarthy-Lange, Andrew Torres and Karen Novy. Voting the other way was Trustee Tom Guist. Trustee Kit Kuhrt was not present.
The developer plans to construct a cricket pitch as well as address underground drain tiles as part of the first phase of the project set to take place this year or early next year.
In phase two, the developer plans to construct parking lots on the south, east and west of the stadium site, a clubhouse for players, a berm for seating and stormwater facilities. Phase two would provide for a seating capacity of 2,000, according to documents. This phase is proposed to take place in 2024.
Phase three of the developer’s plan would include a clubhouse for members, seating in the northern portion of the stadium and a north parking lot. This phase would bring seating at the stadium to 6,000, according to plans. This phase, which is proposed for late 2024 or 2025, would allow the stadium to accommodate professional cricket events, plans state.
In phase four, the developer would replace the berm seating with a single level of seating around the stadium, which would bring capacity to 14,000 fans and accommodate national cricket events, according to plans. This phase is planned for late 2025 or 2026, according to the developer.
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Second and third levels of stadium seating could be constructed in the future, according to village documents, which could provide seating for 24,000 fans.
The Village Board’s approval includes the special use permit to allow for an outdoor cricket stadium with a restaurant and a hotel, as well as a final plan for the first phase of the project, according to village documents. Each subsequent phase, the restaurant and hotel will be required to return for staff review, as well as to the Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission and Village Board for review and approval, village officials said.
Residents – particularly in Blackberry Knoll – have expressed concerns that a stadium of this magnitude would generate heavy traffic congestion during cricket matches as well as create a need for overflow parking in surrounding neighborhoods.
“We can agree to disagree but we will sit down and talk with you to make sure everybody is comfortable,” Patel said of the planned stadium.
“This is going to be a defining project for our community. We will always work with our neighbors, village officials and neighboring communities,” he said. “This is not just the Breybourne Cricket Stadium, this is our stadium.”
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.