With controversial church plan progressing in South Barrington, could lawsuit’s end be near?

A controversial plan to build a church and school on vacant land in South Barrington is progressing even though a lawsuit seeking to disconnect the site from the village remains open.

The village board this month formally accepted changes to the facade designs and landscaping for the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and school proposed for 34 acres at Bartlett Road and Route 59.

The approval could be useless if Area N Development — the congregation-backed limited liability company that bought the land — doesn’t drop a lawsuit seeking to carve the property out of the village and make it part of unincorporated Cook County. The secessionist effort was prompted by a perceived lack of action at village hall on the proposal.

But village and Area N Development representatives have been talking and a cordial settlement to the dispute could be near.

“Area N Development and the church welcome the progress recently made with the Village of South Barrington,” the Schaumburg-based organization said in an e-mailed statement. “Both sides have been working to resolve outstanding issues.”

South Barrington Trustee Daniel Zierk is hopeful. Village officials can’t be perceived as “dragging our feet” on real estate developments, he said.

“We need to push South Barrington forward and not look like we’re a difficult village to work with,” Zierk said.

Auction raised questions

The property is just north of the Woods of South Barrington neighborhood. Formerly a tree nursery, it had been owned by the South Barrington Park District since 2003.

According to documents, a roughly 17,300-square-foot church will serve a congregation of about 200 members. Elsewhere on the campus, a nearly 17,000-square-foot school building with a gym and store will serve an estimated 25 third- through 12th-graders.

The congregation created Area N Development in Delaware in February 2024 to buy the land from the park district at auction that month for $2.3 million.

Congregation representatives didn’t reveal they were behind the limited liability company until after the purchase was finalized.

The following month, some area residents sued to stop the sale, questioning the validity of the auction. While their lawsuit proved unsuccessful, the legal wrangling caused uncertainty about the land’s ownership, which slowed the village’s development process.

Citing those delays, Area N Development announced in October 2024 that it would pursue disconnection and develop the property under Cook County’s zoning rules. It filed the lawsuit the same month.

Plan moving forward

The development plan has been moving forward at village hall this summer, however.

In June, the village board approved parking lot schematics and the construction of a fence around the school.

Both approvals were contingent on Area N Development dropping the disconnection lawsuit within 90 days.

The plan cleared another hurdle Sept. 11, when the village board approved removing dormers from the architectural plans and adjustments to the proposed landscaping.

With progress being made, Area N Development described the disconnection case as “inactive, for the time being.”

The next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 8, at the Richard J. Daley Center in Chicago before Cook County Circuit Judge Maureen Ward Kirby.

Mayor Paula McCombie said she’s optimistic the matter will be settled amicably. Still, more work is needed.

“(It’s) not quite dropped yet,” McCombie said in an email. “That is still to come.”

Zierk doesn’t want the Area N dispute to dissuade other potential real estate developers or entrepreneurs from coming to South Barrington.

He also believes the church will be good for the community.

“In the world we live in right now,” Zierk said, “we need as much religion and as much faith as possible.”