Proposed sale of South Barrington Park District land to church is headed to court
The battle over the potential sale of South Barrington Park District land to the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church is headed to court.
A request for a temporary restraining order filed by residents opposing the sale could be heard by Cook County Judge Claire J. Quish on Tuesday, Sept. 5, the district's attorney, Scott Puma, confirmed Thursday.
The hearing will be held virtually at 10 a.m., Puma said.
The church is set to buy the 34-acre site, which is south of where Bartlett Road and Route 59 meet, for about $1.7 million. It wants to erect a house of worship and a school there.
District leaders postponed a real estate closing scheduled for earlier this week after receiving copies of a legal complaint and a request for a temporary restraining order seeking to block the sale.
The complaint - targeting the church, the park district and the village - was brought forth by anonymous South Barrington residents, documents indicate.
People demonstrated against the deal at the park district's community center before Wednesday night's board meeting and then spoke against the plan during the meeting. Many are residents of the Woods of South Barrington neighborhood, which is just south of the property.
No audience members spoke in favor of the deal Wednesday.
South Barrington voters in April approved a plan to sell the site at auction - but the buyer wasn't determined at that time. When the auction was held in May, the church was the only bidder.
Local critics of the plan have said they're concerned about the ecological impact of the proposed development, the conversion of the land into private property, traffic and other issues. Some have criticized the church's practices.
Plymouth Brethren Christian Church members follow a doctrine of separation and don't eat or drink with nonmembers.
The church is reviewing the decision to halt the sale, representatives said in an email.