Oswego commission rejects plan to reduce lot sizes in Hummel Trails subdivision

Voicing concerns about increased density and traffic congestion, Oswego planning and zoning commissioners have rejected plans to reduce the size of housing lots in the proposed Hummel Trails subdivision.

“At some point, what’s the point of having a minimum lot size if every development comes in and says, ‘Well they did it. So why can’t we?' ‘’ commissioner Justin Sather said during the Jan. 9 commission meeting. ”At some point, the ordinance should mean something. We should have a plan and stick to it.”

The subdivision is proposed north of Woolley Road, east of the Southbury subdivision and north/northeast of the Oswego Public Safety Campus.

During the meeting, commissioners unanimously recommended that the overall density of the project be reduced and that lot sizes be increased. The Oswego Village Board will review the commission’s recommendation.

The developer had submitted an amended concept plan for neighborhoods 6, 7, 8 and 9 in the proposed subdivision. The amended concept plan depicts smaller lots along with 61 additional lots, a smaller park site and a modified street layout, Oswego village planner Jeff Lind told commissioners.

The new concept plan calls for 293 units to be built across those neighborhoods compared to 232 units in the original plan. In addition, the lot sizes would be reduced.

Instead of lots between 12,000 and 12,040 square feet, the typical lot size would be 8,400 square feet, Lind said.

“Despite these changes, the proposed use and proposed density are consistent with the village’s Comprehensive Plan,” he told commissioners.

Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Charlie Pajor said he would like to see wider lots along Southbury subdivision to help reduce traffic congestion.

The village approved the annexation of the Hummel Trails South development in 2008. At that time, 649 single-family homes, 230 multi-family homes and 99 assisted living units were proposed on the 490 acre property.

In 2016, village trustees approved an amendment to the annexation agreement, which increased the number of townhouses by 28 units and reduced the lot size in neighborhood 7 from 15,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet.

Attorney John Philipchuck worked on the original annexation agreement for the development. Philipchuck told commissioners the proposed smaller lot sizes in the new concept plan “are more in keeping with what’s been done in Southbury and in Piper Glen, which are immediately adjacent to us.”

Mike Schoppe, owner of Oswego-based Schoppe Design Associates, the planners for the development, agreed.

“By going down to 8,400 square feet, we think this part of Hummel Trails will fit in better with the developing neighborhood, specifically, Piper Glen and Southbury to the west,” he said.

The minimum lot size in Piper Glen subdivision is 6,480 square feet and the average lot size is 8,599 square feet, village planner Rachel Riemenschneider said. Schoppe told commissioners the average lot size in the new plans will be in the neighborhood of 9,500 square feet to 10,000 square feet.