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Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Construction begins on first residential lots at controversial Crown development in Sugar Grove
Construction has officially started at The Grove, a mixed-use development planned on 760 acres at Interstate 88 and Route 47 that was annexed into the village of Sugar Grove last year. Work is beginning on just one portion of the development area, set to be the community's first residential neighborhood, according to a news release Thursday from Sugar Grove LLC, an entity of Naperville-based Crown Community Development. That area, located along Merrill Road, will offer single-family homes on 214 lots, which Crown expects to deliver to home builders in 2026. Oswego-based J&S Construction was awarded the site contract for the project, according to Thursday's news release. The Grove has been a long time coming, said Crown's Managing Director Jennifer Cowan on Friday. She said that Crown has owned the property for many years, and that 'a lot of work has gone into positioning the property for development.' Last September, the Sugar Grove Village Board approved the development project and agreed to annex the property into the village and give its developer financial incentives via a tax increment financing district, according to past reporting. The project will sit on what is currently mostly farmland surrounding the Interstate 88 and Route 47 interchange. It's set to include neighborhoods, mixed-use commercial and residential areas, a walkable town center and a business park area. The project faced public opposition, however, both before and after the village gave it the green light. In April, a non-binding referendum question was passed by voters asking the village to reverse its decision on the project. In the same election, former village president Jennifer Konen and an incumbent village trustee — both of whom voted in favor of the Crown project — were voted out. Still underway is a lawsuit against Sugar Grove by Kaneland School District 302, which is challenging the tax increment financing district planned for the development project. A TIF district is a form of economic development incentive, in which the value of a property is essentially frozen, with the extra or 'increment' taxes created by developing the property then going into a special fund used to pay for costs related to improving the area. Kaneland was previously in negotiations with Sugar Grove to create an intergovernmental agreement about the TIF district, according to past reporting. But, not satisfied with those terms, the district floated the possibility of taking legal action against the village in February. The Kaneland lawsuit was filed on June 13 with the Kane County Circuit Court, according to case information on the county circuit clerk's website. The district is arguing that the TIF district will mean the school district will lose out on incremental property taxes levied against the area for a period of 23 years, and that there is controversy over whether the area should qualify for tax increment financing in the first place, according to past reporting. Per the lawsuit, the school district is asking the village to dissolve the TIF district. Sugar Grove Village President Sue Stillwell declined to comment on Friday about the lawsuit. Kaneland Superintendent Kurt Rohlwing said on Friday that the district right now is waiting on an initial hearing, which will likely not be until September. 'We want to make sure that we have a fair deal for the financial arrangements that impact all of our communities,' Rohlwing told The Beacon-News. But, despite the opposition and legal action surrounding the TIF district for the development, the Crown project has continued to move forward in recent months. In late April, the village OK'd a final plat of subdivision, essentially a map dividing up a piece of land into smaller lots, for one portion of the development — the part that just began construction, Cowan said. The latest approval Crown secured was a mass grading permit, which is required by its annexation agreement with Sugar Grove, according to Stillwell. Mass grading is essentially preparing the land at a site for construction. The developer is going to be grading nearly 80 acres of the project area, Cowan said, which could take six to eight weeks. From there, the developer will install sanitary sewers, water mains and storm sewers underground, and pave and finish streets by the end of this year or the spring of 2026. Getting the mass grading permit allows Crown to start construction while its engineering plans are still being reviewed, Cowan explained. She noted that significant rain during the fall could impede the process, so the goal is to have the grading done before then. Crown will have to go through the engineering review process and plat approval process for each portion of the project it brings forward to the village, Cowan said. This first development area is expected to offer single-family homes with two- or three-car garages, according to Thursday's news release. Crown is a land developer, meaning it won't be building the homes that will sit on this development area. But Cowan said she anticipates there could be homes built in this area before the end of 2026. The Crown project as a whole is set to have as many as 1,500 residences, according to The Grove's website, and at least 200 acres of open space, including parks and trails. As for the other components, Cowan said that the industrial portion of the land is already under contract for a data center, which could be built in the next three to four years. For Crown's part, she estimated that its build-out of all the parcels in the project's development area could be finished in about 10 years, not necessarily including the construction of the homes or other buildings that will then be built on top of them. But, for now, Cowan expressed optimism about the project as a whole and the progress being made on this first residential piece of the project. 'I'm really excited to be able to deliver some additional housing supply to this market,' Cowan said. 'It is a supply-constrained market. … Housing supply is definitely a need here in Chicago, in the Chicago metro area.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Oswego Chasers prepare to hunt storms in Tornado Alley
OSWEGO, N.Y. (WSYR) — SUNY Oswego's storm-chasing student team, the 'Oswego Chasers,' is hitting the road again on Tuesday, May 27. Dr. Scott Steiger, professor of meteorology and Director of LESPaRC, spent Memorial Day preparing his class and visiting students from states in the northeast for the annual summer expedition in the Great Plains. Students were testing instruments, such as a Radiosonde weather balloon, that would be vital to their research in the field. Dr. Steiger told his team the tool measures moisture, temperature, and wind at least 10 miles above the surface. Students from as far as Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, along with Oswego-based students, will be split into three teams to focus on forecasting, equipment care, and logistics. Because their focus is on forecasting daily, each team observes, takes measurements, and compares their data from earlier in the day with the data at the end. 'That really can help to determine whether or not we're in a good place to…where thunderstorms may develop,' Dr. Steiger said. Dr. Steiger has been preparing his band of misfit meteorologists all semester long to take on 'Tornado Alley' for two weeks, a tradition he has loved since 2007. 'One day we'll be in Texas,' he said. 'Two days later, we could be in Montana.' David Rienza, a SUNY Oswego 2024-25 graduate, said he has always been fascinated by storms in New York State but is ready to observe them on a larger scale. 'We get severe thunderstorms, but they're nothing compared to, you know, how severe…just how massive they are out in the Plains,' Rienza said. During the instrument demonstration, the professor's team agreed they were ready to put their skills and tools to the test. 'We can actually plot it ourselves,' Kaitlin Farrell, a senior, said. 'We get to collect that data that we, normally, are kind of given…with these instruments, we can actually see how this stuff works!' Senior Jason Ruiz, an avid astronomy enthusiast, cannot wait to apply his knowledge of Earth and space science while studying the skies. 'It brings excitement to me…knowing that what I'm looking at on the screen is actually happening, like, in large scale around me,' Ruiz said. As Dr. Steiger prepares to pack the vagabond fleet of vans in the morning, he said he never ceases to look forward to his favorite part of any trip. 'When we're out watching a storm…I have my iPad, and we're looking at the radar imagery of the storm, and they're comparing what they're visually seeing to what they see on the radar screen and you can just see when they make that connection in their eyes,' he said. The Oswego Chases depart at 7 a.m. and hope to be storm-chasing in Western Oklahoma by Wednesday evening. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
12-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Project to feature 113 townhomes approved in Oswego
Oswego trustees recently approved a 113-unit townhome development that was delayed after the 2008 housing crash. Sierra Tango Pine Ridge, LLC was granted approval to amend a major planned unit development and preliminary planned unit development and plat for Pine Ridge Club B which reflects a reduction in housing units. The 22.53-acre site is at the northeast and northwest corners of Mill Road and Heatherwood Drive in the village. In 2005, a final planned unit development and plat was approved for Pine Ridge Club, village planners said. The plans permitted 16 condo buildings with 16 units each for a total of 256 units. There were two sites identified for future multi-family apartment buildings with a potential 144 apartments which were not built. Four condo buildings with 16 units each and four garage structures plus a clubhouse were built. The underground utilities were installed for the site, however, construction did not proceed on the rest of the development after 2008. village officials said. Representing Naperville-based Silverthorne Homes, the contract purchaser, at the Oswego Village Board meeting was Carrie Hansen, director of Planning and Government Services for Oswego-based Schoppe Design Associates, Inc. The new proposed project includes 31 single-story attached ranch villas targeting customers who want to live on one floor, a housing need identified in the village's latest housing study, she said. The proposal also includes 82 conventional two-story townhomes. 'That's a reduction of a minimum of 79 units,' Hansen said over the original plan for the development. 'That's a density reduction from 8.5 dwelling units per acre to 5.0 dwellings per acre for this section of the project. The redesign has also resulted in the reduction of about 4.37 acres of impervious surface – quite a bit less pavement from the previous plan.' The Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the new project at its April 10 meeting. As a result of the group's discussion and input from residents, 10 parking spaces were added for a total of 25 guest spots, Hansen said. 'This was done to address concerns raised by neighbors who presently have parking issues in the existing condominium development,' she said. The Village Board vote in favor of the project was unanimous. 'I for one am very happy to see a reduction in density,' Oswego Village Board member Karin McCarthy-Lange said. 'I also am excited to see the ranch-style townhomes. I think that's a nice addition.' The proposed 31 single-story attached ranch villas will be constructed in the first phase, while the 82 townhomes will be built in the second phase of the project, officials said.
Chicago Tribune
15-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Oswego panel recommends approval of townhome development
The Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission recently recommended approval of a townhome development that was delayed after the 2008 housing crash. Commissioners forwarded the recommendation for approval to the Oswego Village Board, which has the final say on the project. Representatives of Pine Ridge Club B are proposing to build 113 townhome units on about 22.53 acres at the northeast and northwest corners of Mill Road and Heatherwood Drive in Oswego. The builder is proposing to 'retrofit' a site designed for a different product with new, marketable townhome units, Oswego Assistant Development Services Director Rachel Riemenschneider said in a report to commissioners. The proposed project includes 31 single-story attached ranch villas targeting customers who want to live on one floor, a housing need identified in the village's latest housing study. The proposal also includes 82 conventional two-story townhomes, she said. Although the site is vacant, it does have underground utilities as part of the previously approved plans for Pine Ridge Club A, Riemenschneider said in the report. The final planned unit development and plat for Pine Ridge Club were approved in 2005, which permitted 16 condo buildings, with 16 units each, for a total of 256 units. There were two sites identified for future multi-family apartment buildings as well, Riemenschneider said. Construction began and the first four 16-unit condo buildings and the clubhouse were built before the 2008 recession halted the project, the village planner said. 'The site has remained undeveloped since that time,' Riemenschneider told the group. The current petitioner is proposing a site plan for Pine Ridge Club B that reduces the overall number of units, while maintaining the general layout of existing utilities and approved streets, Riemenschneider said. The proposal is to build the remainder of the neighborhood with 113 townhome units, she said. Representing Naperville-based Silverthorne Homes at the planning commission meeting was Carrie Hansen, director of Planning and Government Services for Oswego-based Schoppe Design Associates, Inc. Various uses, including attached single-unit dwellings for the future Tuscany Station and business districts, surround the site, Hansen said. 'The first four buildings for 64 units and the clubhouse were constructed on the west portion of the property and then in 2008 everything grinded to a halt,' Hansen said. 'The village's 2015 comprehensive plan identifies multi-family residential use for this property. Our request complies with this designation.' Hansen said the 'proposed plan has two townhome product lines.' 'We have 31 one-story village townhomes in the southeast portion of the property and 82 two-story conventional townhomes on the remainder,' she said. The proposal is for 113 townhome units versus the 192 remaining approved condos given the green light in the original 2005 plan, she said. 'That's a reduction of a minimum of 79 units and that does not count the undefined number of apartment units. It's a reduction in density of approximately 8.5 dwelling units per acre for the approved plan versus the 5.0 dwelling units per acre on the 22.53 acres for the proposed plan,' Hansen said. Commissioners forwarded a recommendation for approval to the Village Board. 'Hopefully, everything works out and we'll end up with a nice development where there's an eyesore of an open field right now,' Oswego Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Charlie Pajor said.
Chicago Tribune
21-02-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
School District 308 offers English classes to parents of multilingual learners
In partnership with Waubonsee Community College, Oswego-based School District 308 is offering English language classes to parents and guardians of multilingual learners in the district, officials with District 308 said. The classes began in mid-January and will continue through May 22 at Old Post Elementary School in Oswego, according to a press release from School District 308. The first few sessions included registering, taking assessments and reviewing assessment results, officials said. These results aided the course facilitators in finding out the level of English language fluency each participant possesses and determining how to support their learning best, according to the release. 'Our school districts are the center of a community,' said Maria Lopez, director of Multilingual Learners in School District 308. 'We're providing that opportunity not just for our students to learn, but for our families to learn so they can support our students.' Although District 308 has hosted similar opportunities in the past, this is the first time the district has collaborated with Waubonsee Community College on the program, according to the release. While Waubonsee supplies the instructors and curriculum for the classes, the district provides free child care for the participants in attendance, District 308 officials said. Lopez hopes the partnership will result in a continued relationship with Waubonsee and benefits to the adults taking part in the program. 'I hope that it just continues to grow and be successful so that, at the end of the day, we are supporting our community and the people that represent this community,' Lopez said.
