Barrington town hall meeting reflects concerns about downtown

Barrington officials held their second town-hall meeting of the year this week, which revealed a desire for quicker downtown redevelopment as one of residents' most pressing concerns.

Jonathan Knight, chairman of neighboring Barrington Hills' zoning board as well as a representative of some developer interests in Barrington proper, got the discussion centered on the issue during the question-and-answer period.

Knight suggested the village embrace market-driven development and "form-based" architectural styles rather than strict reliance on height and density restrictions for downtown buildings.

He complained that usually the first thing developers hear from Barrington is what they can't do and why, which he feared is leading to the gradual decay and death of the downtown.

The discussion prompted debate among other audience members about how far above the current three-story height restriction the village might consider for downtown developments.

The Garlands retirement community just outside downtown was cited as an example of what could be achieved by looking beyond simple height restrictions to an architectural style that looks right and flows together properly.

Village President Karen Darch reminded residents that rules are always needed as a starting point and that the Garlands today is actually a good compromise of those rules and what the developers originally sought.

But after years of relative inactivity with downtown revitalization, some residents suggested that some short-term goals were needed to insure some progress.

"We have them," Trustee Tim Roberts said. "Each department has them. You have to have short-term goals to achieve the long-term goals."

But he cautioned that solutions that might seem easy from an outsider's perspective get more complicated when one becomes aware of all the governmental mandates that truly need to be satisfied.

For example, more height and more density in the downtown inevitably cause more traffic problems and parking issues for an area with more than its fair share of both.

Roberts said village leaders need residents' help when it comes to asking state and federal legislators to make the changes that will allow them to make more changes locally.

Trustee Jim Daluga said pensions for municipal employees, driven by state law, are just one example of expenses not under village leaders' control but which severely restricts the spending of local dollars where they might most be needed.

"Please pay attention to this pension issue," Darch also urged audience members.