Barrington plan commission to hear redevelopment proposal for former PepsiCo site

Barrington’s plan commission will hold a hearing Tuesday on a proposal to redevelop the former PepsiCo site into a residential development with 88 custom single-family homes.

Vintage Luxury Homes plans to develop the Claremont at 617 W. Main St. as a gated community with lot sizes ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 square feet. Most lots will be in the 10,000-to-15,000-square-foot range.

The total site is approximately 94 acres. However, development is only proposed on the north portion of the site and will not extend past Hidden Lake, village officials said.

PepsiCo Inc. shut down its research and development facility at 617 W. Main St. in 2022. The 265,000-square-foot building was used as a testing facility for Pepsi and Gatorade.

Vintage President Joe Elias and his daughter, Development Director Brooke Elias, plan to demolish the existing building.

This would mark Vintage’s fourth development in the Barrington area, following Hidden Lakes, Enclave, and Sundance, all in South Barrington. Elias, a Barrington High School graduate who currently lives in South Barrington, has maintained strong ties to the community throughout his career.

Joe Elias said the Claremont would feature amenity packages designed to create a resort-like living experience, with a community and family focus. Packages have included a clubhouse, fitness center, swimming pools, cabanas, spa, café, lounges, pickleball and bocce ball courts.

“It's kind of like living in a country club or a resort, but without the golf course,” he said.

He said each home will be one-of-a-kind.

“We custom design each home for each client and each lot for the lot that they select,” he said. “We sit down with them and from scratch, draw and design the house that they're looking for. We never use a plan twice.”

The hearing will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at village hall.