506 W Main St, Barrington, IL 60010 | Zillow
By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald
A Barrington neighborhood with a rich history is gathering petitions to stop Barrington Area Unit District 220’s plans to buy four properties to provide parking for its new auditorium.
The district approved contracts in August to buy 502, 506 and 510 W. Main St. and 112 N. Hager Ave. at a cost of $985,000. Closings are expected next month, and the district is asking for village board zoning approval.
Residents of the Walnut Grove neighborhood told Barrington village board members Monday they oppose the rezoning from single-family residential to public lands.
The residents have collected more than 150 signatures, and several plan to speak at the District 220 school board meeting Tuesday.
They say the district’s plans endanger a neighborhood with deep roots in Barrington’s history — some of the homes date back to the Great Depression and include Sears kit homes built by Barrington High School shop students.
“There is always an ongoing conversation in our community about having enough parking at the high school,” not only for students and staff during the school day, but for after-hours activities, District 220 Superintendent Craig Winkelman said at the Aug. 19 school board meeting.
During the recent referendum, as the district was considering expanding the auditorium, the district received feedback about adding parking to accommodate the increased seating, he said.
However, Walnut Grove residents who voted for the recent referendum that made the auditorium possible say they were blindsided by the district’s decision. They worry about future land acquisition on their block and are a decline in property values.
Residents suggested the district use about 10 acres of buildable land it owns.
Read more here.
Related: The August 19, 2025 District 220 Board of Education meeting agenda included: “Consideration and Approval of Resolution Approving contract for purchase of 502, 506, 510 W. Main St. and 112 N. Hager Ave. (Nearly $1M total) properties.”