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Plans to build an outdoor cricket stadium on Oswego’s west side continue to be on hold while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determines if the village has jurisdiction over the wetlands on the property.
“The developer is waiting on the federal government to determine the jurisdiction of the wetland; we believe it is under local jurisdiction and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agrees, but they are waiting on concurrence from the federal EPA before they can proceed,” Oswego Village Administrator Dan Di Santo said. “Phase 1 construction is on hold until this determination is received.”
Oswego resident Paresh Patel of Chakra360 LLC has submitted plans to build the professional cricket stadium with a clubhouse and restaurant on 33.48 acres at the northwest corner of Orchard Road and Tuscany Trail in Oswego. Last November, Oswego village trustees voted 4-1 to approve a special use permit for Phase 1 of the project, which involves construction of the field and wicket and installation of underground drain tiles.
They also recommended approval of preliminary concept plans for all five phases of the project. Voting “No” was Village Trustee Tom Guist. Village Trustee Kit Kuhrt was absent from the meeting.
The land includes two small farmed wetlands totaling 0.61 acres and one non-farmed wetland totaling 8.86 acres, Di Santo said.
“We believe it is likely that, like the U.S. Army Corps, the federal EPA will eventually determine that the village will have jurisdiction over the wetland due to its small size, not the feds,” he said. “Unfortunately, there is a backlog of these jurisdictional determinations at the federal EPA level.”
An update on the situation is expected in October, Di Santo said.
“The determination has been with the EPA headquarters for over a year with multiple extensions for review,” Di Santo said. “We expect an update in October as to the status. This project is not the only one in the EPA review queue. We understand that there are hundreds of others across the country.”
As part of the second phase of the project, the stadium would be open for use with a seating capacity of 2,000. Phase 3 would bring the capacity up to 6,000 and Phase 4 would increase it to about 14,000 people.
With the seating increased to 14,000, the stadium would be able to accommodate national cricket events. Future plans involve completing second- and third-level stadium seating, which would bring capacity to between 24,000 and 25,000 people.
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As proposed, the stadium would be a seasonal facility that would operate from April to October. According to the plans, traffic associated with the stadium will occur off-peak as games are played in the evenings and on weekends.
Nearby residents and others have voiced concerns about the noise and traffic the stadium would generate. Patel has agreed to install a six-foot privacy fence along the west property line.
Patel plans to work with village officials to develop traffic control management plans that would discourage and prevent stadium traffic from using Tuscany Trail to the west of the facility. All stadium traffic would be directed to the Orchard Road access points.
He has said the location is well suited for a cricket stadium.
“Orchard Road is a highly traveled regional transportation corridor which can handle heavy traffic,” he said.
Patel also noted plans call for a Metra commuter train station to be built near the site, which would provide public transportation as well as parking spaces for those going to the stadium.