The Shodeen Group’s plan’s for the Reserve at Hudson Crossing planned for the long-vacant site of the former Alexander Lumber.

A prime piece of Oswego real estate will soon turn from vacant land into a sprawling residential and retail development that includes 500 new public parking spaces, 12,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space along Washington Street, and 245 residential units along the Fox Riverfront.

Late in June, The Shodeen Group, LLC unveiled development plans for the Reserve at Hudson Crossing, located at the former Alexander Lumber site, and Village President Gail Johnson is ecstatic about the project.

“Isn’t it exciting,” Johnson said, discussing the recent development of land that’s been vacant since 2006. “This is what happens when you plan and then put that plan in motion.”

The property at 63 Washington St. in Oswego will soon become a Potter’s Place restaurant, similar to the one in downtown Naperville.

The Shodeen project is one of several underway within the village.

“At this point, we have the right board members, the right staff and the right business owners coming forward who really want to be the first people in the door,” Johnson said.

Johnson said that Oswego is “the next westward movement out of Naperville for businesses that want to make a name for themselves.”

And, with the recent passing of a TIF district in Downtown Oswego, the village has the funds to help developers with infrastructure needs.

“You can see what happened when we passed the TIF, it really spurred interest in development,” Johnson said. “All of the properties downtown are old and have old infrastructure. The sole purpose of this TIF was to make sure the village is able to put funding into updating the infrastructure.”

In addition to attracting to Shodeen Group, the village also caught the attention of Andrew Trasatt, the owner of Potter’s Place and Jimmy’s Grill in Downtown Naperville.

Trasatt will be transform the property at 63 Washington St. into Oswego’s very own Potter’s Place, a restaurant and bar featuring a 3,000-square-foot outdoor patio with a second story balcony, where patrons can look out over Washington Street and Downtown Oswego.

“We couldn’t be more excited about joining the downtown and being part of its exciting growth. The enormous amount of positive feedback the restaurant has received from the Oswego community has been overwhelming,” Trasatt said.

On July 1, another announcement made waves in Oswego: The formation of Oswego Brewing Co.; a full-scale production craft brewery to be located in the heart of downtown Oswego at 61 Main Street, in the “basement” of the old Village firehouse.

The location will feature “a 60-seat tap room and 20-seat meeting room, the brewery aims to be a welcoming place where our customers can stop in for a beer, play a few board games, socialize with their friends, and just feel at home,” the owners wrote in a recent press release.

The doors plan to open in early 2018.

“People are beyond excited,” Johnson said. “It’s so thrilling to see the village take form. I could see it before, and I knew what I wanted it to look like, but to see all of the pieces coming together is spectacular.”

–‘Exciting’ new business happening in downtown Oswego: Retail and residential developments unveiled–