Oswego OKs concept plans for 811-housing unit subdivision south of Wolf’s Crossing Road

The Oswego Village Board voted unanimously Aug. 23 to approve concept plans for a 227 acre, 811-unit housing development at the southwest corner of Wolf’s Crossing and Roth roads.

Chris Funkhouser, land acquisition manager and representative of D.R. Horton, project developers, detailed the concept plans for the Sonoma Trails subdivision, which will include 490 single family homes, 247 multi-family townhomes and 74 duplexes.

The concept plan also features four “pocket parks,” three miles of trails, 57 acres of open community space and a 12 acre community site featuring a private pool house and park for residents.

D.R. Horton has been the largest homebuilder in the U.S. since 2002, and reports 81,469 homes closed in the past 12 months, according to their website.

Funkhouser told the board that Sonoma Trails is one of the developer’s largest new projects in the firm’s Chicago division, and they would like to break ground early 2023 with model homes being constructed next summer and the buildout continuing until 2032.

Funkhouser said that after conversations with Chad Feldotto, director of parks and planning with the Oswegoland Park District, D.R. Horton came to a consensus with the park district’s Board of Trustees that Sonoma Trails would feature four pocket parks in lieu of having a park district owned 3 to 5 acre community park.

Funkhouser detailed plans for five types of neighborhoods.

Of the 811 total dwellings, there are two neighborhoods of townhomes totaling 247 units, one neighborhood of duplexes totaling 74 units, and nine neighborhoods made up of three types of single family homes totaling 490 houses.

Funkhouser said the neighborhoods with the highest density would be in the north along the major roadways, with density reducing as one moves south into the neighborhoods.

The site is currently undeveloped land, with the northeast portion zoned as residential and annexed into the village in 2006.

Funkhouser told the board the development would start in the northeast corner of the site, proceed west and then south to allow the firm to begin development on all five types of homes immediately.

Trustee James Marter said he really liked the plan and the diversity of housing options included. He noted feedback he has received from residents with concerns about the number of rentals being approved by the Village Board and asked that they be mindful of that.

Funkhouser said D.R. Horton’s analysts are seeing that single family rental homes are in very high demand. He said they traditionally build single family rentals in neighborhoods of 100 homes, and are considering building one or two rental neighborhoods.

Trustee Kit Kuhrt asked what the price for the single family homes will be.

Funkhouser said the single family homes on 40 foot lots will be priced in the high $300,000s, with the largest single family homes anticipated to list in the low $500,000s.

On Aug. 4, the village of Oswego’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the concept plans.

During his presentation to the Planning and Zoning Commission, Funkhouser said everything in Sonoma Trails from the street names to the landscape will pull from the look and feel of the vineyards and estates of wine country.

Two of the single family neighborhoods feature 30 foot wide homes on 40 foot wide lots. Charlies Pajor, chairman of the village’s planning and zoning commission, voiced concern as to the density in those neighborhoods.

“I’ve never heard of 40 foot lots,” Pajor said. “While I love all the shared green space, that concerns me. For a detached single family home, that’s a pretty small lot.”

Rod Zenner, the village’s development service director, confirmed that the village does not currently have any neighborhoods of that density.

Funkhouser said the decreased lot size for those two neighborhoods allowed them to provide an additional type of housing opportunity and an increased amount communal of open space.

“I love the concept of the open space and the trails,” Pajor said. “From that standpoint, I think you’re doing really good.”