Farmers Weekly Review

By Nick Reiher

Manhattan Mayor Mike Adrieansen and the Village Board on November 4 voted 6-0 with one abstention to join a long list of plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by the grassroots Stop NorthPoint group.

Shortly after the vote, to which Trustee Ron Adamski abstained, Adrieansen sent out a press release regarding the pending lawsuit against “NorthPoint Development, LLC and other named defendants, reinforcing Manhattan’s commitment to protecting local interests and preserving the integrity within the boundaries of the Village.”

The lawsuit, spearheaded by Stop NorthPoint LLC, aims to halt the development of a massive trucking and warehousing complex proposed by NorthPoint Development based on claims of public and private nuisance, the press release stated.

It is believed that the project, which would span nearly 500 times the size of Chicago’s Soldier Field, poses significant threats to the environment as well as the health, safety and quality of life for residents in Manhattan, according to a press release from the village.

“Our decision to join this lawsuit reflects our dedication to safeguarding our community’s future,” Adrieansen said in the release.

“The proposed development by NorthPoint threatens not only our environment, but also the safety and well-being of our residents. I along with our Village Trustees want to ensure that our voices are heard, and our community is protected.”

Contacted by Farmers Weekly Review for a comment, Patrick Robinson, NorthPoint’s Vice President of Development, said he wasn’t surprised.

“But I am a little confused about the irony,” he said.

Robinson said there was a time when the village considered putting homes on the land in question. After the residents opposed that plan, he said, the village designated the land for industrial use.

Village officials rescheduled the board meeting, usually held on Tuesday, for November 4 due to Election Day the following day.

Asked if NorthPoint officials were watching any races in Will County, Robinson said no.

“We’re better at building buildings than we are picking winners in the election,” he said. “We’ll stick to what we know best.”

Following the vote on November 4, John Kieken, a founder of Stop NorthPoint LLC, addressed the board:

“On behalf of Stop NorthPoint, I sincerely thank Mayor Adrieansen and this entire Village Board for their thoughtful consideration of Manhattan joining us as a plaintiff in this lawsuit to protect the health, wellbeing, and quality of life of the citizens of this community. …

“NorthPoint’s project is an enormous 4,000-acre warehouse complex, estimated to bring at least 70,000 vehicles per day to the area. This would suffocate roads, strain infrastructure, and damage the environment surrounding Midewin and Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, as well as destroy quality of life for tens of thousands of residents living in and around Manhattan.

“The people of this community have been pushing back on the NorthPoint project since it was first proposed in mid- 2017. After Elwood rejected NorthPoint, they approached Joliet in 2019, who has given a green light to NorthPoint’s every request.

“Joliet has failed to show any consideration or cooperation with their neighbors to the south despite the fact that the bulk of this proposed NorthPoint footprint is in the middle, and on top, of two other communities.”

Kieken said Stop NorthPoint filed a lawsuit in Will County against Joliet in October 2020. The lawsuit alleges that the NorthPoint development constitutes a public and private nuisance under Illinois law. Even after this lawsuit was dismissed in December 2022, Stop NorthPoint vowed to never to stop.

“In an historic ruling earlier this year, the Illinois Appellate Court for the 3rd District overruled and reversed the Circuit Court’s dismissal and upheld our two nuisance counts. …

“Now that our case has been remanded back to the Circuit Court, we will very soon have our day in court to be heard; to present evidence and expert testimony that supports our nuisance complaints.”

The lawsuit highlights several critical concerns, including:

• Environmental Impact: The development’s proximity to the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie raises serious environmental and ecological concerns.
• Infrastructure Strain: The project would place an undue burden on local roads and infrastructure, potentially leading to increased traffic congestion and safety hazards.
• Community Well-being: The scale of the development threatens the quality of life for residents, with potential negative impacts on property values and local businesses.

 

Nick Reiher is editor of Farmers Weekly Review.