Oswego School District 308 officials are addressing community questions and concerns following a recent decision by the Oswego Village Board to move ahead with a concept plan to redevelop the former Traughber Junior High School property in Oswego.

At the Dec. 9 Oswego Village Board meeting, trustees unanimously voted to approve a concept plan for a 161-unit apartment and townhouse development for the property, located at 61 Franklin St. near the intersection of Washington Street and U.S. Route 71.

They also directed staff to begin negotiating a redevelopment agreement between the village, Oswego School District 308 and the development team of JTE and architecture firm Cordogan Clark.

“This agreement will outline project expectations, responsibilities, timelines, and financial details,” school district officials said in a recent post on its website. “Once a draft agreement is completed, it will be reviewed publicly and presented to both the Village Board and the SD 308 Board of Education for consideration and potential approval. This process ensures transparency and provides opportunities for community input before any final decisions are made.”

School district officials noted the former Traughber Junior High School building has been vacant for several years.

“Over eight years ago, the district identified that extensive repairs would be too costly to bring the building up to be suitable for instructional usage,” officials said. “Even for non-instructional purposes, the scale of necessary renovations and upgrades far exceeded the district’s financial capacity then and even more so today.”

The district has to spend $250,000 a year for its upkeep.

“These ongoing costs divert funds that could otherwise be used directly to support students, classrooms, and educational programs,” officials said. “After multiple unsuccessful attempts to repurpose or sell the building, the district determined that conveying ownership of the property to the village of Oswego is the most fiscally responsible solution. This action will generate immediate savings for taxpayers and, over time, return the property to the tax rolls, creating long-term financial benefits for both the community and local schools.”

Officials said the proposed development will bring many benefits, including cost savings by eliminating ongoing maintenance expenses, new residential growth and a strengthened tax base.

In addition, they said the district has the capacity to handle more students.

“Current enrollment projections indicate that, even with future growth, the district’s student population will remain below its previous peak from several years ago,” officials said. “District schools have sufficient space and resources to welcome new students without compromising educational quality.”

The district covers about 68 square miles, with students not only in Oswego, but also Aurora, Joliet, Montgomery, Plainfield and Yorkville. The district’s enrollment has decreased in the last seven years, from 17,384 students in the 2017-2018 school year to 16,140 students in the 2023-2024 school year, according to a recent district enrollment analysis.

In response to village trustees voicing concerns about the height and density of the development, the developer scaled back the plans for Traughber Estates.

Trustees as well as Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman thought a five-story building proposed as part of the plan was too tall, especially in comparison with the rest of the development.

In response, the building has been removed and replaced with two three-story apartment buildings. In addition, the number of units has been reduced from 202 units to 161 units.

As proposed, five three-story apartment buildings containing 125 units would be built as part of the latest plan. Also proposed are six two-story owner-occupied townhouse buildings containing 36 units.

“This is not my favorite project,” village trustee Karin McCarthy-Lange said prior to voting to approve the concept plan. “I don’t want to stand in the way of helping the school district financially. It’s not my ideal project. It’s not as creative as I would have liked it. It’s not as original as I would have liked. But I cannot in good faith stand in the way of saving the school district money and helping them in the long run.”

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.

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

Longtime Oswego resident Don Draksler, who lives on Garfield Street, was one of several residents who spoke against the proposal.

He said the intersection of U.S. Route 71 and Plainfield Road/Washington Street is already extremely congested. Oswego High School is also located near the intersection.

“During the beginning and ending hours of OHS and sporting events, it takes three to four or more light changes to get through the intersection, depending on your direction of travel,” Draksler said in addressing village trustees.

“During adverse weather times, it takes even longer. As a result, there has been an increase in traffic in our neighborhoods from vehicles trying to avoid the congestion,” he said.

Kauffman noted a traffic study will have to be done before the project can move forward.

“The traffic study is going to be hugely impactful,” he said after the meeting. “If it comes back and it shows that it would be catastrophic to traffic in the area, we’re not going to let it go forward. But if it comes back and it shows it would have a nominal or minimal impact to the traffic in the area, then that is no longer a concern.”