Mayor Ending Talks With NorthPoint Compass Business Park Leaders

MANHATTAN, IL — In a Wednesday news release from the Village of Manhattan, Manhattan Village Mayor James Doyle announced to residents that he and the Village Board have "had enough" and are ending all discussions with the leaders of Kansas City, Missouri-based NorthPoint Development.

Citing many reasons for the decision, including NorthPoint’s "reluctance to deal in good faith and provide necessary protections for the citizens of Manhattan," Doyle also said that NorthPoint has been embroiled in controversy since news of their 2017 project broke. That's the year NorthPoint announced their intentions to build a 2500-acre light industrial project, Compass Business Park, on the borders of Manhattan. According to Doyle, Compass Business Park would include roughly 31 million square feet of building space, and of that space, 1250 acres and 14 million square feet are within Manhattan’s planning area.

“Since news of the project broke in 2017, the Village Board and I personally didn’t like the thought of 2500 acres of industrial development to our west,” Mayor Doyle stated, in the news release. “But, in our duty to the community, we had to put our personal opinions aside.”

Don't miss updates about precautions in the Manhattan area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

According to the news release, the village has offered Northpoint officials a way to work with the village to mitigate the impact of this massive project on the village and surrounding areas for over three years.

“The truth is: 50% of NorthPoint’s project is within our jurisdiction and for the next six years can only be developed with our approval," Doyle added. "NorthPoint has responded by engaging in stall tactics and making empty promises to avoid confronting the project’s impact on our community. Our requests for information, materials, and studies have all been met with silence.”

More Patch coverage about NorthPoint:

• Manhattan Shares Email About NorthPoint Development
  
• NorthPoint Wins Unanimous Approval From Joliet Plan Commission
• Mayor: Joliet Receptive To Learning About NorthPoint
• Congressman Bobby Rush Endorses NorthPoint For Joliet
• Anti-NorthPoint Group Plans Town Hall In Manhattan
• Northpoint Expresses Interest In Annexing To Manhattan: Village

To this day, the only study the village has received is a traffic study commissioned by the City of Joliet, according to the news release.

Many governmental entities, veteran associations, environmental groups, and community groups are vehemently opposed to this project, and now the village is joining that list, "due to NorthPoint’s reluctance to deal in good faith and provide necessary protections for the citizens of Manhattan," village officials said in the news release. In addition, Mayor Doyle will be asking Federal, State and County legislators to "value the interests of individuals over Corporate America, and work with the Village to oppose NorthPoint’s project and any special legislation that is needed for this project to move forward," including legislation for a required construction of a bridge or roadway for the project.

More from Patch:

• Manhattan Crafts Inspiring Locals To Create During Covid-19
  
• IL Patch Local Business Information Center: A Community Resource
• Manhattan Supermarket Employee 'Makes The World A Better Place'
• Manhattan Heroes: Help Patch Recognize Those Making A Difference

“Northpoint’s tactics have warranted legal action, including an ongoing battle with the Village of Elwood,” Mayor Doyle stated, in the news release.“There comes a point when as a community, you become weary of wasting the time of our officials and employees. Their time is better spent providing services to our residents and taxpayers. NorthPoint refuses to address the legitimate concerns of the Village of Manhattan and, in my opinion, has failed to treat the Village of Manhattan and its citizens fairly.”