Plans canceled for Barrington retirement community

Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha said Thursday that the owners of the former Zion Bible College property have apparently canceled their plans to build a retirement community in town.

"It now appears that they are not intending to move forward on that project," said Mr. Cunha. 

Instead, he added, they "are putting the property up for sale."

A company called ShineHarmony purchased the former Bible college property at auction more than five years ago. It had been reported that the company, which is based in China, was initially planning to open a Chinese-American school on the property. 

Those plans later changed, and in Oct. 2015, officials went public with a plan to build a continuing care retirement community on the property. The project called for a variety of housing options for people 55 and older and included the development of a 214-unit assisted living facility, 35 cottages, and the repurposing of Belton Court, an historic building on the 39.5-acre parcel. Belton Court would have include 18 independent living units, 3 guest rooms and a number of common rooms.

ShineHarmony was partnering with the Peregrine Group.

In Dec. 2015, it was reported that town officials had worked with the owners of the property on a tax stabilization deal that allowed the developer to pay a lesser amount in taxes initially and then increasing amounts for the next 15 years.

But following the announcement of the tax deal, news about the development grew quiet. 

Mr. Cunha said it has been difficult communicating with the property's owners. For starters, there is a language barrier, as many of ShineHarmony's representatives do not speak English. 

Mr. Cunha added that he believes there is still a need for a retirement community in Barrington.