The Joliet City Council has postponed a decision on a controversial industrial development project that has drawn fury from many residents.
The council meeting on Tuesday 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 the vote be tabled “indefinitely.”
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 are concerned it would only add more truck traffic through Joliet and the surrounding suburbs.
A lawsuit involving NorthPoint, CenterPoint and the City of Joliet is still ongoing and a hearing on the case is scheduled for this week. The issue is the NorthPoint project is on the border of the CenterPoint intermodal center.
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.
Last year, CenterPoint intermodal was named a Top 10 Industrial Park in Business Facilities magazine’s Metro Rankings report as millions of containers are shipped by Union Pacific and UNSF Railway each year through Joliet.
“With over 6,400 acres and 45 established industries, this largest master planned inland port is a pivotal economic powerhouse not only benefitting the local community, but also catalyzing growth across the entire Midwest region,” according to Business Facilities magazine.
During the public hearing portion of the meeting Tuesday, Joliet resident Kathy Garthus said the warehouses near her home 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.”
In other city council news, councilman-at-large Joe Clement he’s concerned to hear about businesses leaving Joliet, particularly Hawk Auto, who’s moving its Cadillac and Volkswagen dealerships to Plainfield.
“We have to get ultra-conservative,” said Clement. “We cannot have businesses leaving.”
Clement said businesses bring revenues to Joliet and the loss of it can lead to higher taxes and layoffs. For that reason, he said economic development is key to the city’s wellbeing.
“We have to get serious with this and it has to be our number one priority.”