NorthPoint Joliet Gains Unanimous Support From Plan Commission

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet Plan Commission held a six-hour public hearing Thursday evening for the controversial NorthPoint Development proposed on 1,360 acres, and the meeting ended with a unanimous approval of the project from Joliet officials.

The plan commission vote sends the project to the Joliet City Council for a final decision.

There has been vehement opposition from hundreds of residents near Elwood and Manhattan trying to persuade Joliet to reject NorthPoint's Compass Business Park planned near Route 53 on Joliet's southern border.

NorthPoint officials issued a news release following Thursday night's vote.

“Tonight’s Plan Commission vote to unanimously approve Compass Global Logistics Hub was the first step in the effort to build and begin delivering on our promise to create jobs, bring thousands of jobs and economic opportunity to the entire Southland region. We are enduring an economic crisis like never before and the pandemic has struck hardest among those who can least afford it. Compass Global Logistics Hubs will not only result in a paycheck but help in providing financial stability to our communities most in need.

“At NorthPoint, we’re committed to our veterans and to preserving the sanctity and tranquility of the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. We’re disappointed that the Village of Elwood opposes Compass, located a quarter of a mile away, after its leaders made the decision to surround Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery with industrial development and truck traffic immediately adjacent to it. Our top priority is to design a park to make the roads safer, alleviate traffic and prevent trucks from entering this sacred ground and disrupting funeral processions that honor our fallen heroes.”

Joliet's Times Weekly newspaper covered Thursday's meeting at City Hall. To read more details of the meeting, check out the Times Weekly's coverage here.