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Trustees ask staff to present commercial property packet before May ahead of ICSC; Committee of the Whole discussion planned
Summary
Trustees asked staff to present existing property collateral and barriers to development at a Committee of the Whole prior to the ICSC conference in May so the village can better target business-attraction efforts and address site limitations where possible.
Trustees at the Jan. 7 Village of Oswego meeting signaled consensus to have staff present a targeted review of commercial properties and development barriers at a Committee of the Whole meeting before May, ahead of the ICSC real-estate convention.
A trustee argued the village should shift some focus from housing studies toward identifying commercial parcels that could be made "plat-ready" to attract businesses and sales-tax-generating retail. Staff and trustees discussed using existing collateral prepared for ICSC, with staff member Kevin and community-relations materials identified as already containing property sheets the village uses with potential developers. Trustees said the Committee of the Whole presentation could cover which lots are entitled or ready to build, barriers such as access issues, instances where owners are not willing to sell, and potential short-term fixes (for example, traffic studies) that might make sites more marketable.
Trustees and staff discussed timing and scope. Several trustees expressed support for a pre-ICSC presentation so the board could set priorities for which lots staff should emphasize at the May conference. One trustee suggested trying the Committee of the Whole format and expanding if needed; another said staff already has collateral and the discussion would not be a large new workload.
The discussion noted at least one specific access-related matter that the board has already budgeted for as a traffic study (referenced in the meeting) and suggested that addressing certain barriers could make properties more attractive to developers. The board concluded by agreeing to place the item on a Committee of the Whole agenda for consideration prior to May.
