A group of residents who live near a proposed Cadillac dealership in Barrington want the development to move farther from their neighborhood and establish a landscape screen buffer, citing the collective multi-million dollar value of their homes and the haul they bring the village in property taxes.
At its Aug. 8 meeting, the Barrington Village Board voted as part of the multi-item, single-vote consent agenda to accept a recommendation from the Plan Commission for a proposed Motor Werks of Barrington Cadillac dealership, at 18 E. Dundee Road. However, a board vote isn’t expected until next month.
For now, at the meeting, representatives from the dealership and neighboring community shared their concerns with village leaders.
“The [Plan] Commission did approve our project, but wanted to eliminate eight display spots in the front of the building on a diagonal. We would like the board to reconsider and add those spots back in there,” said Deb Gammon, Motor Werks Auto Group chief financial officer, explaining that it’s imperative for Cadillac to display new models.
The company is seeking village approval to build a new dealership and service center at the site, along with related site improvements expected to include, in part, parking, lighting, and signage and landscaping, according to village documents.
Gammon said at the board meeting that Motor Werks Auto Group has adjusted project plans in response to previously raised concerns by neighboring residents, including moving the building back 14 feet to the north, reducing the number of front parking spots, reducing the number of light poles and changing the lighting schedule in the summer and winter months, and increasing the landscaping to 4-foot trees by a planned car wash.
Britt Casey, who spoke on behalf of the neighboring Hillshire Estates subdivision, said residents want to see more done to protect the property values of the homes on the south side of Dundee Road that abut the dealership’s car wash, auto storage area and pending development.
“Our 28 homes represent $34 million in real estate and $150,000 of calculated property tax income,” Casey told the board. “We’re deeply impacted by the development and we’re very concerned.”
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When Deb Cohorst reached retirement age, she didn’t expect to face possibly leaving the rural town she’s loved for close to 40 years. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s tax hikes have not helped.
