OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Economic Development Commission Meeting - August 5, 2026

Village Board & Commissions — Wednesday, August 5, 2026
BodyOswego, Illinois
SessionVillage Board & Commissions
DateWednesday, August 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 52:46

Transcript — Verbatim
2:30

Bill?

2:31

Yes.

2:32

Dave.

2:33

Carrie.

2:34

Yes.

2:34

Andy.

2:35

I was absent, so I will abstain.

2:37

Okay.

2:38

Laura, I was absent as well.

2:42

Raphael is absent.

2:43

Uh Andy was absent.

2:47

Um did I miss D I say Ken?

2:50

Yeah.

2:52

Ken.

2:54

Yes.

2:55

Okay.

2:59

C one, new business, financial incentive requests.

3:04

All right.

3:04

We've had a couple of them since our last meeting.

3:07

Uh a couple higher profile ones.

3:09

Uh the first of which was Elwood Steak and Fish House was approved.

3:15

Um they received a forty thousand dollar grants uh as well as a three hundred thousand dollar loan to take over the old um or not old, but the reserve at Hudson Crossing, the corner space.

3:26

Um so they're gonna be doing a a full restaurant build out there.

3:29

Um as part of that the state uh sought out grant loan funding, as well as uh sales tax sharing for one after they're open.

3:38

Um so they've already submitted for permits and we're reviewing them now and um we're gonna be taking them through the uh business concierge program and uh get them started here very soon.

3:49

So that was a uh a very nice uh combination of you know they're putting in um a lot of personal equity, you know the village of course provided assistance and then show Dean the landlord uh is putting in over four hundred thousand dollars in tenant improvements, so it was a nice kind of uh partnership between three parties uh to get this restaurant finally built out.

4:12

Um they shall be starting soon.

4:14

Um and then Holy Granoli is the other big uh big restaurant that we provided some financial assistance for not nearly as much in terms of the loan they were seeking a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars um and then a forty thousand dollar grant.

4:30

Um you know a lot of you might be thinking, oh the Jerry Barn, fully built out restaurant.

4:35

You know, well what could they use it for?

4:37

Um and it's two things.

4:38

One the the setup in the kitchen was not set up for even a quick service restaurant.

4:44

It was for very limited menu, hot dogs, hamburgers, um and then ice cream and all that good stuff.

4:51

Uh which is great and the the applicant holy granoli can use a some of that equipment, uh but they provide really high quality um cooking of their of their products.

5:03

Uh so they have a very humongous menu.

5:06

You might have seen it if you've been to the one in Bullingbrook.

5:08

Um you can look it up online, but it's a it's a massive menu, so they need a lot of additional equipment.

5:14

They're gonna be putting in um an additional hood system uh and an additional burners and cold storage and food prep areas and things like that.

5:23

Um so they're spending quite a bit of money uh in order to to invest in all of this new equipment.

5:29

Um and then they'll also be fully enclosing the uh outdoor patio area with windows.

5:34

So it'll be served as more of a three seasons room that they can use for seminar semi-permanent seating uh as they and and several other restaurant tours that I've taken through this space have previously said that it just doesn't seat enough people to make a profit based on you know other overhead costs.

5:51

So um you know those are the the two big parts.

5:54

We actually just the business concierge team and I had a call with them today uh as they get ready to submit their permit plans and start their build out soon.

6:02

Um there's not a fortunately not nearly as much involved with their build out as much as there is for Elwood, which is you know, starting from kind of uh concrete scratch, if you will, um, but uh still two great additions that went along with um uh Billybrick's Pizza who was approved for funding um at our before our previous meeting.

6:22

Um and then the last grant we just approved, I'm sorry.

6:27

How much did Holy Granoli get?

6:29

They got a 125,000 loan and a 40,000 grant.

6:34

Thank you.

6:34

And no sales tax sharing.

6:36

Okay.

6:37

Uh and then last but not least, we did just approve a five thousand dollar grants under the revised program guidelines for the uh Wilhelm building, uh which is where the record store is and Pam's boutique and Code Force uh over there on uh was that Jefferson Jefferson Street.

6:54

Uh they had a uh failing portion of their retaining wall that they wanted to replace for just a small portion, it was like a fifty thousand dollar price tag, uh which is is quite uh quite a investment that they're looking to make.

7:07

Um so under the way that the uh but step both staff and the board interpreted the criteria, uh we were able to give them that five thousand dollar grants for um this is a functional property improvement, but it was treated more as um cosmetic and general property upkeep, similar to the uh the parking lots and some of the other criteria that the um the economic development commission helped flush out last year for the board.

7:33

So that was approved on Monday, and they're if they haven't already started work, they're going to be soon.

7:39

Um and then there's no other pending grants, uh at least none that have been submitted.

7:44

Uh there's still a few out there that have expressed interest and might be coming soon, um, but nothing uh on the immediate horizon.

7:54

Holy granoli, when do they hope to open?

7:57

Uh their goal is by the end of September.

8:00

Um you know, I it it's ambitious, but not impossible.

8:05

But I would say for Holy Granoli before the end of the year is is kind of what I've been telling people.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development█████████████████████████████████████████████53%
Community Engagement████████████████████23%
Land Use Planning████████10%
Procedural███████8%
Transportation Safety███4%
Affordable Housing██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Economic Development Commission Meeting - August 5, 2026

The Oswego Economic Development Commission (EDC) met on August 5, 2026, at Village Hall. The meeting covered financial incentive approvals for new businesses, small business development initiatives, and updates on commercial developments. Commissioners discussed downtown lighting improvements and the upcoming Business of the Month awards. A new student commissioner was introduced.

Discussion Items

Financial Incentive Requests (C.1)

Economic Development Director Kevin Lighty reported on several approved incentive packages:

  • Elwood Steak and Fish House: Approved for a $40,000 grant and a $300,000 loan to take over the former Reserve at Hudson Crossing corner space. The project includes a full restaurant build-out with over $400,000 in tenant improvements from landlord Sho-Dean, plus state grant/loan funding and sales tax sharing. Permits have been submitted. The owners praised Director Lighty's responsiveness.
  • Holy Granoli: Approved for a $125,000 loan and a $40,000 grant to convert the former Jerry Barn space. The kitchen requires significant upgrades (additional hood system, burners, cold storage, food prep areas) and an enclosed three-season patio. No sales tax sharing. Target opening by end of September 2026, but more realistically by end of year.
  • Wilhelm Building (Jefferson Street): Approved for a $5,000 grant under revised program guidelines to replace a failing retaining wall (total cost ~$50,000). The grant was treated as cosmetic/general property upkeep.
  • Billybrick's Pizza was previously approved for funding.

Small Business Development Initiatives (C.2)

Director Lighty updated on the Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) survey, now slated for late August/early September 2026. The survey will be distributed via email and direct mail with QR codes. Results will be presented at a future meeting.

Old Business

  • Small Business Development Event (D.1): Director Lighty proposed a November 4, 2026 event (similar to last year's) and sought input on venue. Commissioners discussed the Oswego Public Library (professional, capacity ~50) versus Whitale (hosted last year, good community feel). Whitale was favored; Director Lighty will also explore the library. Budget is $1,000.
  • Business of the Month Awards (D.2): July winner: 113 Main; August winner: Old National Bank. New nominations include Air Dynamics, Alpha Cleaners, Bartell's Auto Clinic, First National Bank, Impact Sports Rehab, LPS Paving, Raising Cane's, Surf Pro, Yo's Barbershop, Midwest Milk (requires nomination form), and Restoration One (business staying in town despite owner moving to Texas).

Reports

  • Economic Development Director (E.1): Director Lighty reported:
    • Bay 54 opened to rave reviews; owners thanked the community.
    • Needle and Groove and Coldstone have opened. Needle and Groove is already outgrowing its space and seeking a larger downtown location.
    • The former Subway on Route 71 will be replaced by a State Farm insurance office.
    • A 10,000 sq ft retail center on Orchard Road (east side, north of Lewis) is ahead of schedule; no formal tenants yet but several LOIs for QSR and service/retail uses.
    • Trader Joe's is on schedule for fall opening; liquor license to be considered at a future board meeting. Home Goods construction has started. Dutch Bros not yet started.
    • The former TGI Fridays site remains without a tenant; owner is being contacted.
    • Hell's Barbecue is looking at a specific site to relocate within Oswego.
  • EDC Members (E.2): Commissioner Bill Hodgson reported a positive visit to Sports Clips; he connected the manager with Director Lighty and the Chamber of Commerce. Commissioners raised concerns about downtown lighting and pedestrian safety, particularly at Washington and Main. The village's comprehensive plan draft is open for survey comments; downtown infrastructure improvements are in the capital improvement plan but face funding competition. Director Lighty noted Harrison Street streetscape improvements are out for bid and expected to start and finish this year. Commissioner Angie mentioned Fox Fall Fest applications are coming in, including a potential Filipino restaurant. Commissioner Laura Witt expressed concern about the crosswalk at Washington and Main.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved financial incentives for Elwood Steak and Fish House ($40k grant + $300k loan), Holy Granoli ($125k loan + $40k grant), and Wilhelm Building ($5k grant).
  • Set direction for Small Business Development Event: likely at Whitale or library; Director Lighty to finalize venue.
  • Business of the Month for July (113 Main) and August (Old National Bank) recognized; new nominations to be processed.
  • Downtown lighting and safety issues to be raised during budget workshops and comprehensive plan survey; commissioners encouraged to advocate to village board.
  • New student commissioner Daewick (David Morale Darren) introduced and welcomed.

Meeting Transcript

Bill? Yes. Dave. Carrie. Yes. Andy. I was absent, so I will abstain. Okay. Laura, I was absent as well. Raphael is absent. Uh Andy was absent. Um did I miss D I say Ken? Yeah. Ken. Yes. Okay. C one, new business, financial incentive requests. All right. We've had a couple of them since our last meeting. Uh a couple higher profile ones. Uh the first of which was Elwood Steak and Fish House was approved. Um they received a forty thousand dollar grants uh as well as a three hundred thousand dollar loan to take over the old um or not old, but the reserve at Hudson Crossing, the corner space. Um so they're gonna be doing a a full restaurant build out there. Um as part of that the state uh sought out grant loan funding, as well as uh sales tax sharing for one after they're open. Um so they've already submitted for permits and we're reviewing them now and um we're gonna be taking them through the uh business concierge program and uh get them started here very soon. So that was a uh a very nice uh combination of you know they're putting in um a lot of personal equity, you know the village of course provided assistance and then show Dean the landlord uh is putting in over four hundred thousand dollars in tenant improvements, so it was a nice kind of uh partnership between three parties uh to get this restaurant finally built out. Um they shall be starting soon. Um and then Holy Granoli is the other big uh big restaurant that we provided some financial assistance for not nearly as much in terms of the loan they were seeking a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars um and then a forty thousand dollar grant. Um you know a lot of you might be thinking, oh the Jerry Barn, fully built out restaurant. You know, well what could they use it for? Um and it's two things. One the the setup in the kitchen was not set up for even a quick service restaurant. It was for very limited menu, hot dogs, hamburgers, um and then ice cream and all that good stuff. Uh which is great and the the applicant holy granoli can use a some of that equipment, uh but they provide really high quality um cooking of their of their products. Uh so they have a very humongous menu. You might have seen it if you've been to the one in Bullingbrook. Um you can look it up online, but it's a it's a massive menu, so they need a lot of additional equipment. They're gonna be putting in um an additional hood system uh and an additional burners and cold storage and food prep areas and things like that. Um so they're spending quite a bit of money uh in order to to invest in all of this new equipment. Um and then they'll also be fully enclosing the uh outdoor patio area with windows. So it'll be served as more of a three seasons room that they can use for seminar semi-permanent seating uh as they and and several other restaurant tours that I've taken through this space have previously said that it just doesn't seat enough people to make a profit based on you know other overhead costs. So um you know those are the the two big parts. We actually just the business concierge team and I had a call with them today uh as they get ready to submit their permit plans and start their build out soon. Um there's not a fortunately not nearly as much involved with their build out as much as there is for Elwood, which is you know, starting from kind of uh concrete scratch, if you will, um, but uh still two great additions that went along with um uh Billybrick's Pizza who was approved for funding um at our before our previous meeting. Um and then the last grant we just approved, I'm sorry. How much did Holy Granoli get? They got a 125,000 loan and a 40,000 grant. Thank you. And no sales tax sharing. Okay.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com