Plan for car condos in South Barrington up for public review

Plans for an upscale storage facility for valuable cars will get their first formal review by South Barrington officials next week.

The BeSpoke Group wants to construct a facility at the Arboretum of South Barrington. The company is eyeing open space on the center’s northwest side.

South Barrington’s plan commission will review the proposal when it meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7, at village hall, 30 S. Barrington Road.

The proposal was informally unveiled to the South Barrington village board in February 2024.

While the focus of the business will be storage of luxury, exotic and classic autos, the facility is proposed to look more like a clubhouse than a garage or self-storage facility. According to the plans presented last year, it’ll have areas that can be equipped with game tables, lounges and other amenities.

Temperature-controlled units would be sold individually to customers, not rented month-to-month. BeSpoke calls them car condominiums.

One- and two-story units would be available. A rooftop lounge and a swimming pool were part of the plans presented last year.

A representative of TKM Holding Co., a firm associated with the proposal, declined to answer questions about the plan this week.

For the plan to become reality, village board approval will be needed. Mayor Paula McCombie said she’s excited about the proposal.

“It sounds like a great project and an amenity for our village,” she said in an email.

Despite their similar names and business plans, the company behind the concept is not the BeSpoke Motor Union that’s planning a luxury car storage operation in Gilberts.