A developer has scaled back a residential development proposed for the former Traughber Junior High School property after Oswego planning and zoning commissioners last month unanimously rejected the plans.

Village trustees will review the revised plans for Traughber Estates at their Village Board meeting Tuesday. The meeting is set to start at 7 p.m. at Oswego Village Hall, 100 Parkers Mill, Oswego.

Developer JM Development has reduced the number of units from 239 units to 202 units on the 12.34 acre property. That includes 172 apartments and 30 townhouses.

Previously, 216 apartments and 23 townhouses had been proposed.

In addition, the number of five-story buildings have been reduced from two to one. The amount of open space has been increased from 1.55 acres to 3.53 acres and walking paths have been increased from 0.6 miles to 2.37 miles.

Other changes include the average building setback increasing from 20 feet to 43 feet and the overall number of trees increasing by 40%.

Saying that was too dense and would create even more traffic problems in the area, Oswego Planning and Zoning commissioners on Sept. 4 unanimously rejected a concept plan to raze the former Traughber Junior High School to make way for a 239-unit residential development.

Planning and Zoning Commission member Justin Sather was concerned about the height of the two five-story buildings, proposed to be about 60 feet tall. The former Traughber Junior High School is 45 feet tall.

“I don’t think any of these buildings should be any taller than the existing building so it fits in with the community,” he said. “This is the transition to our downtown. ... To me, it’s way too much in too small of an area surrounded by all these nice tiny houses.”

Commission Chair Charlie Pajor also voiced concerns about the size of the development. He said the height of the current building is “kind of out of scale to the residential nature of what’s around it.”

“And that was my concern as I was walking around the site earlier this week and just looking at it,” he said. “I don’t see this as a pedestrian friendly or pedestrian encouraging development, because of its size and its density.”

Other commissioners voiced concerns about the development not containing enough green space and that it would cause more traffic congestion in the area.

The Oswego School District 308 board voted at its July 28 meeting to authorize a developer to submit initial development plans to the village of Oswego for the old Traughber property at 61 Franklin St. in Oswego.

The real estate development team of JTE Real Estate and architecture firm Cordogan Clark submitted the proposal for the property.

Mark Benstine, who lives on Franklin Street and whose children attended the school, voiced concerns about the prospect of five-story buildings being built near his house.

In addition, he said the development would just add to traffic problems in his neighborhood.

Resident James Altergott moved to Oswego in 2019 from Chicago.

“There’s just too much coming into this town in the few years I’ve been here,” he said. “This is just not the right fit for this area. I live not far from this and I can tell you, it wouldn’t be a problem for me to see the fifth floor of these buildings. And I am dead set against that. It reminds me of why I left Chicago.”

Yvette Weaver, who lives on Monroe Street, voiced concerns the proposed development would lower the property value of her house.

The building served as the original Traughber Junior High School until the current Traughber Junior High School was built in 2008. The property is 12.34 acres in size, with the building sitting on four acres.

It hasn’t been fully operational since 2007, District 308 Superintendent Andalib Khelghati said.

“There were 100 staff members in and out of that building every single day,” he said.

Khelghati said the property has become an albatross around the district’s neck. He said the district has to spend $250,000 a year for its upkeep.

A plan in 2018 to turn the building into a senior housing complex fell through.