The Future of Area N

Project Overview

We have put time and effort into carefully developing plans for the property that are environmentally conscious and low density. These plans will turn an undeveloped lot into a beautiful site that includes a new place of worship and state-of-the-art school.

Economic Benefits

The development will deliver a substantial positive economic impact for the surrounding communities. We are committed to “buy local” and support communities and businesses through the planning, construction, and operation of the church and the school.

Church members work and purchase goods and services in the communities in which we live and worship. The majority of the construction on Area N will be done by local contractors and materials will be purchased from local sources. Ongoing property maintenance would also be done by local contractors.

OneSchool Global hires professional staff from its surrounding local communities. Furthermore, the Church’s congregants pay local property taxes on their homes.

Aesthetics and the Environment

We have paid close attention to maximizing the aesthetics from inside and outside the development as well as minimizing the environmental impact.

Of the project’s 34 acres, roughly 25 acres will be green space, 5.94 acres of which are wetlands. This is a lower percentage of wetland impact than what was proposed by any other prospective developer of the property. The plans maintain all hydrology considerations for the wetlands and will include fully engineered stormwater management to ensure there is no negative impact to neighbors or surrounding areas.

Finally, all project setbacks are over 150 feet from the closest roadway, ensuring suitable green space buffer.

History of Area N

Site Photo 5-latest

The parcel of land known today as Area N was purchased by the South Barrington Park District (SBPD) at the direction of village officials in 2004. Area N was a part of a legal settlement following the collapse of a deal with a previous developer. The land remained undeveloped for more than 19 years.

Throughout this period, the Village and the SBPD explored several opportunities to sell the property, none of which succeeded. Multiple developers made bids on the property but ultimately walked away, including offers of $1 million in 2020 and $1.6 million in 2021.The latter was an offer from McNaughton Development, which planned to build a high-density housing complex that would have dramatically increased traffic and disruptions in the area and created substantial environmental impact.

SBPD is required by law to go to referendum to ask for a public vote of approval to auction the property. Voters rejected the proposal in 2018 and 2019 but approved it in 2020.

The successful bid of $1.7 million represented the best legitimate offer in years. Unfortunately, the Park District chose to cancel Fourth Avenue’s lawful contract in September of 2023.

The Park District approved a resolution in November 2023 to re-auction the property. At a well-attended auction held in March of 2024, Area N Development, LLC won the auction with a bid of $2.3 million, the largest ever offered for Area N.

The use of an independent LLC during the bidding process is standard practice for real estate dealings. The Park District finalized the purchase in March.