News

Judge rules South Barrington Park District's land sale to religious group was improper

Posted May 22, 2026 11:57 am

Russell Lissau

The South Barrington Park District’s controversial sale of land to a religious group in 2024 was improper, a Cook County judge has opined. The land, sometimes called “Area N,” is at Bartlett Road and Route 59. Courtesy of South Barrington

The South Barrington Park District’s 2024 sale of land to a religious group that wants to build a church and school was improper, a Cook County judge has opined.

Judge Allen P. Walker’s decision doesn’t halt the project or undo the sale of the 34 acres near Bartlett Road and Route 59 — property sometimes called “Area N” — to Schaumburg-based Fourth Avenue Gospel. Fourth Avenue is owned and operated by a congregation of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.

Requests for zoning variations remain under consideration at village hall, and efforts to settle the buyer’s petition to disconnect the land from the village remain active, said James Vasselli, South Barrington’s attorney.

Park District Executive Director Jay Morgan declined to comment, saying the parks board hasn’t had an opportunity to review the ruling. A Fourth Avenue representative couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

A Schaumburg-based group called Fourth Avenue Gospel wants to build a church and school at Bartlett Road and Route 59 in South Barrington. A Cook County judge has opined that the group’s purchase of the property from the South Barrington Park District was improper. Courtesy of Area N Development LLC

Park district residents voted to allow the undeveloped property to be sold at auction in 2023. Fourth Avenue Gospel was the only bidder and offered about $1.7 million for the property.

But the park district board terminated the anticipated sale because of community opposition.

A second auction was held in February 2024. This time there were two bidders, and the winning $2.3 million offer came from a limited liability company called Area N Development.

Only after the purchase was finalized the following month did Fourth Avenue representatives publicly reveal the group established Area N Development solely to purchase the property.

Not long after the 2024 sale, eight South Barrington residents sued the park district over the deal. They insisted the second auction was improper because the park district board had approved a bid after the first auction.

The plaintiffs also alleged Area N Development shouldn’t have been allowed to buy the property via the second auction because park district officials didn’t know the buyer’s real identity.

A religious group wants to build a church and school at Bartlett Road and Route 59 in South Barrington. But the South Barrington Park District’s sale of the land to the group in 2024 was improper, a Cook County judge has opined. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com, 2023

In his May 15 decision, Walker said a second ballot initiative should’ve been put to the public before holding a second auction. A second vote was needed, Walker said, because the park board refused to sell the land to the winner of the first auction.

Walker did not, however, nullify the deal. He also denied park district requests to dismiss the lawsuit, although he did toss one of the three counts brought by the plaintiffs.

In a letter to South Barrington officials that was shared with the Daily Herald, the plaintiffs’ attorney, Mohit Khare, suggested the village should suspend any action on the project until the lawsuit is finalized.