Hough and Main Project a Hot Topic at Town Hall

The last week drew a larger crowd than usual, most likely due to the Hough and Main Street development project that has the community talking.

Not many details about the development have been released. We know that the village is working with a developer to build retail and office space on the corner formerly occupied by Chase Bank. What those stores will be still remains unspoken, but the community certainly didn’t remain tight lipped on the subject.

One of the first questions of the night came from a woman named Nicole wanting to know why the village didn’t leave the area open and green for the public to enjoy as park space.

“Since we have a lot of restaurants why not put in picnic benches or something that makes me want to stay in Barrington instead of going out of town to do something,” she said.

Trustee Beth Raseman replied to her concerns with an explanation of the village’s vision for creating a vibrant downtown.

“When the downtown TIF was established, one of the concepts for creating a vibrant downtown was to have enough mass so that there are enough options for people to go to that it helps all of the businesses,” she said.

Raseman also explained that green space is included in the developer’s plan.

“The developer we’re working with is trying to create outdoor plaza space that is really adjacent to the businesses that may function better for some of those outdoor spaces and to encourage outdoor uses,” she said.

Three community members in the audience raised their concerns with the project. As residents of Station Street, the development will literally be in their backyard, and none of them are very pleased about this.

“I just feel like somehow the sensitivity level has been lost,” A Station Street resident said. “We did see the new pan in place and now we’re dealing with parallel parking facing our house. I know this is a minority, but I hope that there’s nothing set in stone and we have some time to say we can change some of the things you’re doing.”

The village staff assured these residents that the plan right now is just a concept plan. Nothing is solidified. They also suggested that any resident with concerns attend the plan commission meetings to voice their opinion. The trustees said they will keep homeowners wishes in mind while the final stages of the project are being worked out.