A plan to redevelop the former Traughber Junior High School property in Oswgo has taken another step forward.

At the March 16 Oswego Village Board meeting, trustees unanimously voted to acquire the building as part of a redevelopment plan.

Oswego village trustees in December unanimously approved a concept plan for a 161-unit apartment and townhouse development to be developed on the property.

Oswego School District 308 School Board members will vote on the intergovernmental sale agreement at its March 23 meeting. The village will not directly pay the school district the $2.1 million sale price for the property.

“We do not intend to pay at all for this property, as this is something that’s going to be subject to the negotiation of the redevelopment agreement, ” Oswego Village Administrator Dan Di Santo told trustees. “The initial intent before we get into negotiations is that the school district would be paid back for their property through the TIF increment generated by the developer.”

The property, located at 61 Franklin St. near the intersection of Washington Street and U.S. Route 71 in Oswego, is in a tax increment financing district.

“All expenses and revenues generated by the development between the three parties will be negotiated through the redevelopment agreement and approved at a later date,” Di Santo said.

A traffic study and a market study for the proposed development are currently underway.

“The traffic study is going to be hugely impactful,” Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman has said. “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.”

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

The building has been removed from plans 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.

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.

The building hasn’t been fully operational since 2007, District 308 School 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.

“That does not include insurance costs,” he said.

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