Dining, Luxury Housing Planned For Old Oswego Village Hall Site

OSWEGO, IL — Another new development is in the works for downtown Oswego, this one at the site of the former Village Hall. The Village of Oswego is expected to vote Tuesday on a purchase and sale agreement with Imperial Investments, LLC, for the lot at 113 Main Street, paving the way for a new three-story building featuring a fine dining restaurant, offices and luxury apartments.

Imperial Investments, LLC, owns several properties in downtown Yorkville, including the building that is home to the successful Crusade Burger Bar. Imperial worked with Hanna Design Group, Inc. on designing the interior of that building where people enjoy a unique ambiance that Imperial would like to bring to Oswego.

“We are excited about everything we see happening in downtown Oswego, and we’re really pleased to have found this opportunity to be a part of it,” says Mike Mann, consultant for Imperial. “We think there’s a lot of opportunity here, and our plan is to build something that we believe will be beneficial for us, the community and its residents.”

The former Village Hall site at 113 Main Street has been vacant since 2008, when the new Village Hall at 100 Parkers Mill was completed. The former Village Hall building was razed in 2015.

Imperial plans to build a new three-story building on the lot, including a fine dining restaurant on the first floor, an office on the second floor, and luxury apartments with balconies on the third. The development would complement what is already planned for the entire block – a complete reinvention that includes a fine dining Mexican restaurant concept with outdoor dining slated for 63 W. Washington Street and the reconstruction of a Village-owned alley and parking lot with streetscape improvements.

If the purchase and sale agreement is approved Tuesday, Imperial will have four months to work with the Village on a redevelopment agreement and have his site plan approved. Part of that redevelopment agreement will likely include a negotiated purchase price for the property, which is currently listed at $60,000.

Downtown excitement continues to build

The proposed purchase of 113 Main Street is just the latest in a string of developments in downtown Oswego. One block south on Main Street, the Oswego Brewing Co. repurposed an underutilized space and opened its doors in mid-May, and plans have also recently been approved for Market 7, a wine bar concept from Oswego entrepreneur Macey Brooks just across the street.

Meanwhile, plans for The Reserve at Hudson Crossing, a large mixed-use development featuring restaurants, retail, luxury apartments, free public parking and redesigned streetscapes along Adams Street also continue to move forward on a vacant Village-owned property.

A recently established downtown TIF district, redesigned incentive program, and aggressive marketing of Village-owned properties have helped move downtown development forward, part of a larger strategy to strengthen Oswego’s local economy from the inside-out.

“We’re working hard to reinvigorate downtown as a place where residents can shop and dine, and where neighbors can gather and enjoy a sense of community,” said Village President Gail Johnson. “This project, and the way it fits in nicely with what we have envisioned for the former Village Hall block, is one more piece of the puzzle, and we are really pleased to be working together with the developer to realize a shared vision.”

For more information on economic development opportunities both in downtown Oswego and throughout the community, contact Economic Development Director Corinna Cole at ccole@oswegoil.org.

Photo via Google Maps Streetview

Submitted by the Village of Oswego