the picturesque rural roadways of the Barrington Area
is one of the charms of Barrington living.
Unfortunate pressures of urbanization and increasing traffic
can threaten these scenic byways.
In 2007, Barrington Area Conservation Trust co-hosted a road rally fundraiser
through these country roadways and it became clear
that the rural residential routes needed protecting.
Thus, the BACT Heritage Corridor program was introduced. Preservation districts are identified along the roadways in collaboration with landowners.
These protective corridors include at minimum the right-of-way up to 50 feet from the pavement edge jointly held by the local Village government and BACT. It may also include structures such as bridges, signs, shoulders and vegetation.
Ownership of the land remains with the property owner. These Corridors will protect the designated roads in perpetuity.
BACT has since preserved 18 Heritage Corridors throughout the Barrington Area along the familiar scenic drives of Brinker, County Line, Old Sutton, Otis and Ridge Roads.
Passionate landowners have partnered with BACT to ensure that these byways are kept safe from development through a network of conservation protection.
Is your roadway eligible for a Heritage Corridor?
A Heritage Corridor must connect major thoroughfares, but be designed for local residential use. It must be shown that the rural character of the area would be altered if the road was changed.
Additionally, the roadway must fulfill at least two of the following conditions:
scenic value and/or public vistas
two-lane residential road with minimal shoulders
pass through or adjacent to environmentally sensitive areas and/or habitats
parallel to or are crossed by historic riding trails
BACT Land Protection Specialist and, if necessary, a Certified Surveyor meet with property owners to review the property and determine timeline for project.
Property owner receives a draft easement document to review with legal advisor.
BACT may complete a title search to ensure there are no encumbrances on the property.
BACT arranges for the creation of an easement description and sketch to be filed with easement documents.
BACT determines local municipal requirements.
Final documents are drawn up by a BACT attorney and signed by the property owners and BACT.
Documents are recorded with County offices.
Such peace of mind does involve some fees:
a property owner's legal expenses are estimated between $200 and $1,000. Survey costs are estimated between $500 and $1,000 depending on the length of the road frontage. BACT pays for the cost of the survey but requests a tax-deductible donation of $1,000 to $2,000 to help offset these fees and provide an endowment for the easement. This is requested at the completion of the easement.
Some of these costs may be shared by neighbors working together!
To learn more about our Heritage Corridor program, please email or call us at 847-387-3149!
Have you listened to BACT's podcast yet? Visit our website Library!
Our most recent episode: "Let's Get Our Feet Wet". A focus on our local watershed and how that is impacted through our conservation efforts. Guest speakers!
Also available on our YouTube channel is a companion video to our "That's Not Dirt!" podcast - "Soils and Native Landscapes".
Watch for future episodes - up next: we will explore the Conservation@Home program.
These podcasts and videos are made possible through funding by the Barrington Area Community Foundation.
