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By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald
The Barrington Area Unit District 220 school board voted 4-3 Tuesday to reverse its August decision to purchase four properties for parking expansion at Barrington High School.
School board members had unanimously approved buying lots at 502, 506 and 510 W. Main St. and 112 N. Hager Ave. to meet parking needs resulting from a 2024 referendum for school improvements, including a new auditorium.
However, residents from the Walnut Grove neighborhood located next to the high school organized opposition after learning of the purchase.
The residents expressed concern about preserving the scale and character of a neighborhood containing homes dating back to the Great Depression. They said they were also worried about the impact of demolishing three homes, including the elimination of affordable housing.
In addition, they were concerned about property values and being vulnerable to future expansion by the district, suggesting the district reconfigure portions of its buildable land.
Board President Sandra Ficke-Bradford and members Leah Collister-Lazzari and Barry Altshuler opposed reconsidering.
Altshuler worried about precedent, saying, “If we sign a contract and then we don’t go through with it as an organization, that’s not a good thing.”
He added that the properties would have improved safety and security for students and warned that the high school would lose parking during auditorium construction.
Read the full story here.
Related: “School district’s parking plan defies logic,” “Zoning change defies village policy,” “Paving paradise?: Historic Barrington neighborhood opposes District 220’s plan to buy land for parking”
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