The Oswego Village Board backed a low-key start to the planned Breybourne Cricket Stadium, an ambitious five-phase project that could eventually lead to a 24,000-seat arena on Orchard Road on the village’s far west side.

The Oswego Village Board opted to start small as it approved the first phase of a proposed cricket stadium on Nov. 7.

The board backed a low-key start to the planned Breybourne Cricket Stadium, an ambitious five-phase project that could eventually lead to a 24,000-seat arena on Orchard Road on the village’s far west side.

The 4-1 approval would permit installation of a cricket field and underground utility improvements. Trustees Karin McCarthy-Lange, Karen Novy, Jennifer Jones Sinnott and Andrew Torres voted in favor, while and Tom Guist voted no. Kit Kuhrt was absent.

Each phase will need separate approvals, but backing the initial phase appears to open doors for the rest.

“It’s important to know about that preliminary (plan) is you’re really saying is that if all these conditions are met that we’re putting our stamp of approval on what is shown tonight,” said Dan Di Santo, Oswego village administrator. “The way the ordinance is written all phases are essentially approved with that big caveat or condition that all these other studies are going to be satisfactory.”

Paresh Patel, an Oswego resident and CEO of project developer Chakra360 LLC, owns the 34-acre site at the northwest corner of Orchard Road and Tuscany Trail. The currently vacant property is zoned M-1 for limited manufacturing with a variety of possible uses under that designation.

If fully developed, Patel said the project could cost in the range of $100 million.

“Breybourne Stadium is a privately owned organization requesting to build its private stadium for its own club with private equity,” Patel told the board. “It would bring multiple sources of revenue to our village and our county. It would bring in real estate taxes, sales tax, entertainment tax, parking tax, sales use tax and many other taxes. Who are going to be the beneficiaries of those taxes? Our School District 308, our police department, our fire department, our library, Village of Oswego and many other agencies.”

But the proposal also drew opposition, particularly from nearby residents in the Blackberry Knolls subdivision who expressed concerns about potential disruptions by large crowds, traffic, lighting and noise.

“I’m not opposed to the cricket stadium,” one resident told the Village Board. “I’m opposed to a cricket stadium in our backyard. It doesn’t belong in a residential area … It’s not appropriate. It’s flat out wrong.”

Blackberry Knolls includes single family and townhomes and abuts the Breybourne cricket site on the east and a Yorkville residential neighborhood on the west.

The Breybourne Stadium proposal was approved by the village’s Planning and Zoning Commission by a 5-2 vote in September and advanced to the Village Board.

There’s no official timetable for future developments. Phase 2 would include construction of three parking lots, players’ clubhouse, stormwater facilities and a seating berm. Phase 3 calls for members’ clubhouse construction, north stadium seating, north parking lot and Orchard Road widening.

Phase 4 plans would see first level stadium seating construction to replace berm seating while second and third levels of seating would be part of the final phase. Plans also call for construction of a hotel and restaurant.

Each phase would require a series of specific studies on sound, traffic, event planning and more.