South Barrington's village attorney, James Vasselli, had never seen a property owner pull its land out of a municipality and then ask to be let back in. He told the Daily Herald it was "a unicorn event." The land is the former Allstate headquarters site at the southeast corner of Higgins and Bartlett roads. It sits just north of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, across the intersection from the Arboretum of South Barrington, with the South Barrington Office Center to the east.
Most attention has gone to the three light-industrial buildings planned there. The bigger decision is financial. The village is setting up its first tax increment financing district to pay for the site's redevelopment. How much money that district captures, and how much other taxing bodies give up, depends on a Cook County assessment incentive that most buyers have never heard of.
A Parcel That Left and Came Back
Allstate razed its buildings after consolidating in Northbrook in 2012 and still owns the land, which is roughly 67 acres. In 2022, Texas-based Hillwood proposed "Gateway 90 at South Barrington." That plan called for five buildings totaling 647,790 square feet, which the developers expected to be about 75% industrial and 25% office. Allstate petitioned in 2023 to disconnect the land from the village, and a Cook County judge granted that in February 2025. Hillwood then dropped out. Opus, a Rosemont company, now holds a contract to buy the site. Allstate formally petitioned to annex the land back into South Barrington on April 7, 2026.
Mayor Paula McCombie wrote to residents that "once developments de-annex, they seldom come back." She credited renewed interest in the village to what it had accomplished in recent months. The return comes with conditions. According to the Daily Herald's August 28 report, the proposed TIF district is a key part of Opus's plan.
The Buildings Have Mostly Been Settled
The physical plan went through the village's June 24 plan commission hearing. Opus presented three buildings of 370,000, 260,000 and 126,000 square feet. The two larger buildings have 36-foot clear heights and the smallest has 32 feet. For buyers looking at homes north of Higgins, the commitments in those minutes are the useful part:
- The buildings were shifted south, the Higgins Road tree line is kept, and more screening is planned.
- Loading docks on the two larger buildings face away from residents.
- A solid 12-foot vinyl privacy wall, set in an L shape and extended to 550 feet, screens the trailer parking.
- A public water main will be extended, with an easement along Higgins reserved for a possible future water extension.
The commission recommended approval. The village board's July 9 minutes record passage of an ordinance granting land-use relief. The financing still needs its own vote.
Where the Tax Growth Goes for 23 Years
The Illinois Municipal League describes the basic mechanics. When a TIF is created, the district's equalized assessed value is frozen at its current base. Schools and other overlapping taxing bodies keep receiving taxes on that base. Taxes on any growth above it go to the TIF fund. A district can last up to 23 years, and the General Assembly can extend that by 12 more. Money the TIF hasn't committed to obligations or planned costs counts as surplus. It is distributed back to the taxing districts in proportion to their incremental receipts.
On its TIF page, South Barrington says a TIF does not create a new property tax or raise the tax rate. It describes the eligible costs as infrastructure, utilities, site preparation and similar work. According to the Daily Herald's August 4 report, the district covers about 100 acres, made up only of the Allstate site and the office park. It would pay for site work, utilities and internal roads on the Allstate land, along with improvements at the South Barrington Office Center. Vasselli described that work as filling the property's "potholes."
The village's own budget helps explain why this approach appeals to it. South Barrington's FY2025–26 budget sets aside $2.087 million in general real estate taxes and $550,000 for police pensions. Its audit for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025 says the board had not raised the property tax levy for seven straight years. The same budget estimates $942,000 in home-rule sales tax, $1.054 million in state sales tax, $800,000 in food-and-beverage tax and $240,000 in amusement tax. A village that relies on consumption taxes and has held its levy flat for years has a strong reason to want this site paying for its own roads and pipes, without drawing on the levy homeowners pay.
The Number That Moves Most Is a County Incentive
Barrington Area Unit District 220 hired Pilevski Financial to model the district. As summarized by Citizen Portal, the consultant assumed 760,000 square feet of industrial buildout and 2.5% annual reassessment growth over a 23-year life.
| Scenario in the Sept. 15, 2026 projection | Estimated incremental property tax over the TIF's life |
|---|---|
| No Class 6b incentive | About $90.1 million |
| Class 6b applied to all new construction | About $32.2 million |
District 220's own share is a separate figure. The consultant estimated the district could forgo $21.3 million to $52.8 million in revenue it could otherwise reach over the TIF's life, depending on incentives. These are a consultant's projections. They show that Class 6b drives the outcome. The Cook County Assessor's Class 6b eligibility bulletin says qualifying industrial property is assessed at 10% of market value for its first 10 years, 15% in year 11 and 20% in year 12. Industrial property is usually assessed at 25%. If the incentive applies to all the new buildings, the projected increment falls by roughly 64%. The same tool that makes the buildings easier to lease leaves much less growth to divide among the TIF and everyone else.
Who Asked Questions, and What They Asked
On August 24, 2026, a joint review board voted five to one to recommend the plan. The members represented village hall, District 220, Harper College, the South Barrington Park District, Barrington Township and the public. District 220 cast the lone vote against it.
At the September 17 public hearing, District 220 President Craig Winkelman said the district supports redevelopment. He asked for financial figures, including how much revenue the TIF is expected to generate, and for a timeline for sharing the TIF financial analysis publicly. He also raised revenue sharing and asked that water supply at Rose Elementary be addressed. A district teacher who represents the IEA asked that the board receive a full analysis of the budget impact before any decision. The village had received no written objections. The trustees voted 5–0 to close the hearing. That vote ended the hearing and did not approve the TIF.
The Calendar Through Early 2027
- October 6, 2026. The District 220 board agenda included "Consideration to Approve Terms of IGA for Proposed Village of South Barrington Higgins Corridor TIF District," according to the Barrington Hills Observer. The terms were not posted with the agenda item.
- October 8, 2026. The village board agenda included approving the hearing minutes and no TIF ordinance.
- By about December 16, 2026. The ordinances must be introduced between 14 and 90 days after the September 17 hearing.
- Early 2027. Vasselli expects the village board to vote by then.
Reading This From the Buyer's Side
For a buyer comparing South Barrington with nearby villages, the Higgins Corridor is now a dated public process with documents behind it. The screening commitments are written into the plan commission minutes. The financial questions will be settled at specific meetings over the next few months. Two things to watch are whether the new buildings receive Class 6b and whether District 220 and the village sign a revenue-sharing agreement. Class 6b determines whether the projected growth inside the TIF is closer to $32 million or $90 million. A revenue-sharing agreement would determine how that growth is divided. This is general information about a public process and isn't legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm how it applies to your own property with an attorney or tax professional.
FAQ
Will the TIF raise my South Barrington tax rate? The village says a TIF does not create a new tax or raise the tax rate. District 220's concerns are about the revenue growth it would forgo, as described in its consultant's projections.
How big is the district? The Allstate site is about 67 acres. With the South Barrington Office Center, the Daily Herald puts the district at roughly 100 acres. A District 220 summary described about 66 acres of undeveloped land.
Has the TIF been approved? Not as of the village's October 8 agenda. The board vote is expected by early 2027.
If you're weighing a home near Higgins and Bartlett and want to go through the meeting record, the screening plan and the timeline before you make an offer, Connie Antoniou and our team can help. Let's Connect.