Barrington-area leaders: New housing on the rise

Barrington-area leaders say there's evidence of a housing resurgence in their communities, during their addresses Wednesday at the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce's annual Economic Summit.

"In our village things look really, really good," Lake Barrington Village Administrator Chris Martin said before a packed room of chamber members and other officials at the Barrington White House.

Martin said two new subdivisions in the village are doing well. The Enclave, located just north of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, has sold 30 out of 32 houses, and Tallgrass, a 110-acre site located near Kelsey and Miller roads, is now moving forward after being in foreclosure just two years ago.

Martin said Taylor Morrison Homes has purchased the Tallgrass property and will begin building model homes soon.

"It is very exciting for both the village and the region in terms of pushing housing," Martin said.

South Barrington Village President Paula McCombie said two developers have approached her in the last week to talk about building additional single-family homes on land they own in town.

"We're doing quite well there," McCombie said.

Angie Underwood, the village president of Long Grove, said her village is fairly built out, and much of the land available for new development is along major roads like Route 53 and better suited for multifamily housing. The village has been traditionally a single-family home community and residents said in a survey last year they support that.

"But the world is changing," Underwood said. "A developer proposed (a multifamily project) earlier this last year, it was shot down by neighbors, but I believe we will continue to see this in Long Grove."

Kildeer Village President Nandia Black said three new subdivisions are selling homes. She even made a quick sales pitch to the room full of business leaders for a new subdivision called The Preserves.

"The homes are expected to start at around $900,000 and they are going up, so if you're interested be sure to pre-order. They are going fast," Black said, which drew some laughs from the crowd.

The Daily Herald Media Group was among the sponsors of the event.