Less than a month after tabling a vote, the Joliet City Council has unanimously approved a decision on a controversial industrial development project that has drawn push back from some residents.

Councilwoman Suzanna Ibarra, a frequent critic of warehouse projects in her district, was absent from Monday’s special meeting. Ibarra, who represents District 5, said she was not at Monday’s special session as she had a mandatory work conference. She declined to comment on the council’s vote.

On April 2, the city council tabled the CenterPoint annexation request for 10 acres as part of a plan to build two warehouses that are nearly one million square feet each and an intermodal truck terminal planned at 4001 Brandon Road until the Monday, May 7, meeting. Making the motion was councilwoman Jan Quillman, who proposed postponing the vote “indefinitely.” 

 a special meeting was scheduled for Monday night when the council immediately went into executive session after approving the vote. Neither Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy nor anyone on the board commented on the vote. 

This is the week the city and CenterPoint were scheduled to begin legal proceedings as the developer sought legal action against the municipality for not moving forward with the annexation and preliminary plat requests that are needed before they can break ground.

Last year, the Joliet City Council approved an agreement annexing 55 acres of land west of Manhattan Road to Joliet for the Northpoint intermodal hub project that stretches from Joliet to Elwood. The contiguity is needed to develop more than 900 acres of warehouses many opponents expressed concern that this would only add more truck traffic through Joliet and the surrounding suburbs.

CenterPoint is pursuing legal action against both the city and NorthPoint by alleging that Joliet violated prior agreements when they approved plans submitted by NorthPoint that solely depends on the use of roads to be developed by CenterPoint for its project. NorthPoint project is on the border of the CenterPoint intermodal center.

In July 2008, the Joliet City Council approved the CenterPoint project, which will culminate in a 3,600-acre intermodal facility that represents a $2 billion investment by CenterPoint Properties. The facility will handle domestic and international cargo containers and could make Will County one of the largest inland ports in the Western Hemisphere, according to the developers.

During the public hearing portion of the meeting April 2, Joliet resident Kathy Garthus said the warehouses near her home in the south end of Joliet are impacting her quality of life negatively.

“There’s promises (CenterPoint) made which they don’t keep,” said Garthus. “I hope one day you will value people’s quality of life there.”

Chuck Jackson of Joliet said he is not surprised by the council’s vote.

“You knew there was no way out for them because of possible legal action,” he said. “The sad part is they took the vote, but it is us residents who have to deal with the noise and diesel fumes that come from warehouse truck traffic.”