Compasspoint to Build 125 Apartments in Barrington

Compasspoint Development got the green light to build a mixed-use, 125-unit luxury apartment complex in downtown Barrington.

The Barrington-based developer received the go-ahead from the village board to build the four-story structure at 200-300 North Hough Street in Barrington’s Golden Triangle, the Daily Herald reported.

The complex will be built on 6.2 acres south of Liberty Street and replace a former Market Center building and former Volvo dealer.

In addition to the apartments, the plans call for 12,000 square feet of ground-floor shops and restaurants and 37 “car condominiums” for high-end car collectors.

Joe Taylor, head of Compasspoint, said he plans to open a full-service restaurant on the site unlike others in downtown Barrington. He had earlier said he might bring in a Mexican restaurant and a steakhouse to other parts of the building.

Officials said the project fulfills several of the village’s key objectives, including bringing a new and larger restaurant to Barrington. Another advantage: there will be no drive-throughs, which officials said wouldn’t be appropriate for the location.

The apartment floor plans would include one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Market research suggests they would attract empty nesters, those interested in downsizing and renters looking for luxury living space while their homes are under construction, Taylor had earlier told the Daily Herald.

The project will feature a putty colored building with a charcoal mansard roof lined with dormer windows, with floor-to-ceiling windows for the shops and restaurants along the sidewalk, according to renderings.

It will include new utilities, parking, landscaping, lighting, signage, walkways, bicycle parking and a pedestrian esplanade along Hough Street, according to the Barrington Hills Observer.

While approval for the Barrington development was straightforward, Compasspoint had a rockier process last year in Des Plaines, southeast of Barrington, where residents had fought a proposed seven-story mixed-use apartment building on grounds it was unsafe, and unsightly.

After a months-long debate, the Chicago suburb agreed to rezone the city-owned property last August and sell it to Compasspoint to make way for the project.

In 2018, Compasspoint teamed up with Houston-based Bayview USA Holdings to win approval to build a $64 million, 212-unit mixed-use apartment complex in Des Plaines, on a parking lot once owned by the city.

— Dana Bartholomew