Comprehensive Plan - Oswego Illinois

Densities for Planning Areas
To plan growth sensitively and smartly, it was
important to incorporate a density study within
the comprehensive planning process. Presently,
County and surrounding counties are being faced
with issues of suburban sprawl with their municipal
limits moving out to meet outlying subdivision
development. To avoid the negative cost to suburban
sprawl and to preserve natural open land
and features, the density study was developed
to prescribe densities for the planning areas by
clustering development near the Village core and
allowing larger lot development near the outlying
areas near the Village’s edge.
The overall density study contains
radiating density bands
which begin in the downtown
area and radiate in circular
rings outward covering the
entire Village’s planning area.
Each band is assigned a color
and density range to graphi-
concept. The densities range
from 3 housing units per acre in
proximity to the downtown area
to .5 housing units per acre
along the edges of the planning
area. Furthermore, each band
is also assigned an open space
percentage, allocated for each
category. This open space allocation
ranges from the minimum
amount of 20% open space in
proximity to the downtown to
the maximum amount of 50%
open space along the outer
rings of the planning area. The
density in the downtown is more
concentrated near the Village
core and decreases to less
dense areas as one move towards the edges of
the planning areas. In addition, larger percentages
of the open space requirements are designated
toward the edges of the planning areas to
Image 4-1: Inset of density rings
transition from one community to the next.
Figure 4-2, Density Study, demonstrates how
these bands of densities work together. The
circular band at the village center is red and
contains the highest density of 3 hu/acre. This
band contains a 20% open space allocation and
encompasses most of Oswego’s downtown. The
next circular band is orange and contains many
of the planned unit developments in areas 4
and 5, with a density range between 2.5 and 3
hu/acre. This band contains a 40% open space
allocation. The next surrounding band is tan and
contains a lower density range between 2 and
2.5 hu/acre. The tan band encompasses all planning
areas with the exclusion
of planning area 7. The yellow
band assigns a less dense area
between 1 and 2 hu/acre. The
yellow band transitions through
planning areas 3,5,6, and 7.
The last band is represented
the lowest density of .5 to 1
hu/acre and incorporates a
50% open space requirement.
This outer ring, four miles from
the Village’s downtown is the
the community’s edge.
Village of Oswego Strategic Growth Plan: Strategic Growth Density Study
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