Northpoint Development Approaches Manhattan Officials

MANHATTAN, IL — Mayor James Doyle, trustee Michael Naughton and village staff recently met with company representatives with Northpoint Development at the request of the company. At this meeting, Northpoint expressed an interest in once again pursuing a project in Manhattan, the village said.

Doyle reminded Northpoint of the village’s boundary agreements with Elwood and Joliet which dictate how any future development must be negotiated.

“As we’ve clearly stated in the past, we favor responsible development. Good paying jobs and an expanded tax base are welcomed advancements – but we will not strike any deal without proper, transparent coordination with our neighboring partners,” said Mayor Doyle. “To maximize transparency, I have instructed staff to create a public portal on our website where they will upload past and future public information related to this project.”

Before deciding how to proceed, the village said it has requested that Northpoint provide detailed information on the project including a concept plan and a detailed traffic impact study. The traffic impact study must include traffic impacts under the assumption that there would not be a bridge to the Intermodal Ports.

“When the detailed information from Northpoint is received, we will hire experts to assist staff in evaluating and analyzing the information and conduct a market study to determine demand for the project," Naughton said.

The village said no future meetings have been set.

In 2018, the village sued the village of Elwood for breaking a boundary agreement over a proposed Northpoint project. The village dropped its lawsuit once the project in Elwood failed to move forward.