Barrington eased standards on state's largest historic district. Some say village went too far.
Relaxed standards have been approved for Barrington's 18-year-old historic district in a move officials say should allow greater flexibility and reduce expenses for residents who want to renovate their homes while preserving the area's character.
At least 350 structures are in the district, which is Illinois' largest. It stretches north to Main Street, west to Dundee Avenue, south to Coolidge and Hillside avenues, and east to Spring Street. The district made the National Register of Historic Places in the mid-1980s, well ahead of the village's enacting official zoning regulations for the area.
Under the changes, the area now is an “appearance district” and not a preservation area. With historic appearance as the new standard, it means owners will have greater freedom to replace original windows, siding, trim and other parts of a house — provided all new materials match in design, dimension, profile and texture to the original.
Village officials said residents for a number of years expressed concern about costs associated with meeting the more restrictive preservation requirements, which blocked them from using low-maintenance and energy-efficient materials for home improvement projects.
Actual preservation of historic architecture and original exterior building materials were required under the stricter standards. Village board members in April approved an ordinance amendment for the less restrictive appearance district.
“I want to assure the people who live there that the intention is for us to keep the look and feel of this village, which attracts so many people, without making the guidelines onerous to make that a livable property,” Trustee Jim Daluga said.
Historic district resident Steve MacGregor said he strongly supports the easing of the historic standards, as he fixes his single-family house, which originally was Hillside Nursery School. He said the strict guidelines were a burden on historic district residents.
But some Barrington residents opposed changes to the historic district, where some structures date to the 1800s. They contend the entire village's character comes from the historic preservation area formalized in 2001.
Joseph Coath, a member of the advisory architectural review commission who lives in the historic area, said the majority opinions from the panel he serves on and the plan commission were against changing from historic preservation to the less restrictive appearance guidelines.
“After all these years of working to preserve and protect 'the character of Barrington' by helping to create and maintain a legitimate historic district, it never occurred to me that I might be asked to write its obituary,” Coath said.
Trustee Jennifer Wondrasek, who lives in the historic district and raised questions last year about whether the standards were too strict, noted a village survey from August showed 62% of historic district residents favored relaxed standards. Only 21% wanted the district eliminated altogether, she said.
“Overwhelmingly, the residents surveyed responded that they wanted to continue with the historic district and Barrington's history, but we wanted an appearance standard on new materials and allowing everyone and all of us to update our homes without undue financial burden,” Wondrasek said.
Village President Karen Darch said Barrington's White House is an example of how energy-efficient windows and other updated materials were used to meticulously restore the building to its “former 1898 glory.”
Officials said they'll continue to require all exterior modifications are historically accurate and appropriate for the architectural style of a home and the historic district in general. Barrington's architectural review commission will assist in that effort.