The Oswego Village Board recently approved an annexation agreement and rezoning for Polo Crossing, a proposed mixed-use residential development planned for a site south of the intersection of Secretariat Lane and Wolf’s Crossing.
The Drake Group is proposing to build 320 housing units in the development – 120 single-family homes and 200 townhomes – on the 80-acre site currently in unincorporated Kendall County.
“I recognized the character momentum and sense of community in Oswego,” Tom Drake, president of The Drake Group, told the board.
He said The Drake Group secured the land three years ago.
“Polo Crossing is different. It was not imported from another market or cut and paste from a national template. It was designed specifically and thoughtfully for Oswego,” he said.
The proposal provides for “middle market” housing that is specified in the village’s comprehensive plan to generate more housing diversity within the village, Drake said.
Voting in favor of the annexation agreement and rezoning were Trustees James Cooper, Jennifer Hughes, Rachelle Koenig, Karen Novy and Andrew Torres. Voting the other way was Karin McCarthy-Lange.
A concept plan for the project was recommended for approval by the Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission in 2023. While the general layout has remained the same, there is an addition of small-lot single-family units in the new plan. There are 25 fewer units as well, according to village documents.
“This is a less linear and softer design than the previous plan and it has integrated neighborhoods and a street network that creates a cohesive community with multiple housing choices,” said Carrie Hanson, director of planning and government services at Oswego-based Schoppe Design Associates, on behalf of the developer.
The developers have proposed a 4-acre park, community clubhouse and swimming pool as part of the project.
McCarthy-Lange said while she likes the architecture planned for the homes, she does have concerns with the smaller lot houses in 10% of the development.
“I am completely against having 10 feet in between homes,” McCarthy-Lange said. “It’s something we hear consistently from our community that putting houses closer together like that isn’t desired by our residents.”
The annexation agreement covers land/cash donations and impact fees – including the newly-created water tap-on fees that will be paid to the village totaling $1.6 million. The newly-adopted fees address costs associated with the future Lake Michigan water connection for Oswego.
“Polo Crossing will be one of the first subdivisions in town that will be paying that increased fee,” Hanson said.
Among changes to the plan, developers re-engineered the proposal to accommodate the DuPage Water Commission transmission main routing through the property, Hanson said.
Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman said he has been supportive of the project, for its impact on the diversity of housing in the village and other issues.
“You are helping us push forward our timeline of widening Wolf’s Crossing by years and contributing to the Lake Michigan water project,” Kauffman said to the developers. “You are hitting so many of the high notes.”
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
