Dangerous Joliet Rock Pile Gets City's Attention

JOLIET, IL — Joliet hotel operator Mike Patel's plans to convert downtown Joliet's vacant Barrett's Hardware into a high-end Marriott's Springhill Suites haven't panned out. Not only has construction failed to start, but the Barrett's property has become a symbol of danger, Joliet's City Council was told at Tuesday's meeting.

Joliet attorney Dan Kallan, owner of the adjacent building at 71 N. Ottawa St., urged the city to take action on Patel's property. There is a huge hole in the foundation on the backside of the Barrett's building. In addition to the large hole, there is a huge rock pile that anybody walking downtown can access.

Patel had erected a chain-link fence around the back perimeter of his property, but the fence was taken down.

"And there's a huge pile of rocks, and there's bricks, and I don't know if they're going to be removed or what's going to happen to that building," Kallan said at Tuesday's meeting. "I tried to call the owner and was unsuccessful.

"There's a big hole in the foundation of the building, and it's boarded up right now, but it's flimsily boarded up, and I'm concerned there's going to be homeless people camping out there in winter time and lighting fires and stuff like that."

The downtown Joliet lawyer also fears his building on North Ottawa Street as well as other downtown properties would be easy targets for vandals and rioters.

Joliet was the site of a citywide looting on the night of May 31. However, most of the street violence occurred on West Jefferson Street and Larkin Avenue's North Ridge Plaza.

"It's a very hazardous situation especially with the big pile of rocks there," Kallan told Joliet's City Council. "You get a bunch of looters ... my windows are gone. They got a lot of ammo to fling at windows, so I'm concerned about that, and I don't know what the city can or will do about that."

Joliet's interim city manager Jim Hock told everyone that the fence was taken down recently so Patel can "remove that pile, and I expect in the next day or two all that rubble will be hauled away and then the fence will be much closer to the building."

Mayor Bob O'Dekirk spoke up, asking if Hock can provide the council with an in-depth update on the status of the Marriott Springhill Suites project at the next meeting in two weeks.

"I know the last report we got was that construction is continuing but I'm downtown also and I'm not sure that's accurate," O'Dekirk remarked Tuesday night.

In February, the council approved the Marriott's redevelopment project. Joliet Patch previously reported that the project's estimated cost is more than $18.6 million. About $17.5 million was considered Tax Increment Finance eligible.

Kallan, the neighboring building owner, told the council that Patel told him about a month ago that the Barrett's hotel redevelopment project is still proceeding.

"I have about a C minus confidence in that statement," Kallan told the council.

The fact that downtown Joliet's $18.6 million hotel redevelopment has stalled might not be a surprise. March marked the new coronavirus worldwide pandemic, and America's hotel industry has slumped substantially over the past several months as millions of people are not traveling out of state or scheduling out of town business trips.

Joliet Patch reported on Feb. 2 that the Barrett's redevelopment would consist of:

• 2 additional floors to the building to make it a six-story hotel.
• 82 hotel suites
• valet parking
• fitness center
• outdoor patio
• 1,500-square-foot conference room meeting space
• Starbucks Coffee kiosk
• guest laundry
• A first-floor dining outlet in honor of the Barrett's Hardware Store

Here are some additional Joliet Patch photos of Patel's property from Thursday, Sept. 3.