Article Summary:

A proposal to rezone nearly 14 acres on Manhattan Road for a truck repair facility advanced after receiving a recommendation for approval from the Will County Land Use & Development Committee, despite emotional testimony from neighboring residents concerned about noise, pollution, and safety. The committee approved the map amendment after the applicant’s attorney assured them the business would operate primarily indoors and would consider reducing weekend hours.

Manhattan Road Rezoning Key Points:

• The committee recommended approval to rezone three parcels at 918 Manhattan Road in Joliet Township from agricultural and residential to an I-1 industrial classification.

• The applicant plans to build a 12-bay truck repair facility with 44 parking stalls, operating seven days a week.

• Neighboring residents voiced strong opposition, citing health concerns for a child with asthma, constant noise from nearby industrial operations, and the potential for declining property values.

• The applicant’s attorney stated that repairs must be conducted indoors per county ordinance and that he would ask his client to consider reducing weekend hours.

JOLIET – A plan to build a 12-bay truck repair facility on Manhattan Road is moving forward after the Will County Land Use & Development Committee voted to recommend rezoning the 13.85-acre property, despite pleas from residents who said their quality of life is already suffering from surrounding industrial growth.

The committee voted 4-1 to approve a map amendment changing three parcels at 918 Manhattan Road from a mix of agricultural (A-1, A-2) and residential (R-3) zoning to an I-1 industrial classification. The vote sends the recommendation to the full Will County Board for a final decision.

The proposal drew sharp criticism from neighbors. Stephanie Lara, whose property abuts the site, gave an emotional testimony about the impact on her family. “Imagine putting all of your hard-earned savings into what seems to be your dream home,” she said. “Now, imagine all of that being taken away. Not only that, but most importantly, the security you once felt in your home gone.”

Lara said her daughter has asthma and is already affected by fumes from an existing trucking facility next door. “I cannot imagine being fully surrounded by these fumes and how they will affect my children,” she said, referencing the plan for a 44-parking-spot facility operating seven days a week.

Another neighbor, Travis Fleck, who works in truck maintenance, questioned the applicant’s claim that all repairs would be done indoors. “You can’t do every repair inside,” he said, citing the loud process of truck regeneration needed to clean exhaust systems. “You can’t do that indoors. So, we’re pretty much going to be listening to that all the time.”

Nathaniel Washburn, attorney for the applicant, pushed back on the concerns, stating that the proposed facility is for truck repair only, not a truck terminal, and is separate from the neighboring operator. He emphasized that county ordinances mandate repairs be conducted indoors.

“If they are repairing trucks outside, they could call code enforcement,” Washburn said. “Code enforcement could cite them for a violation.”

In response to residents’ requests for a break from the noise, Washburn told the committee he would ask his client to consider reducing weekend hours, though he acknowledged a condition could not be formally added to a map amendment request.

Staff reported that the “trend in the area has shifted towards industrial development along Manhattan Road” since 2015, with multiple map amendments and special use permits for truck terminals approved in recent years. The property is located just north of the Elwood and Joliet freight corridor.

Committee member Sherry Newquist challenged the notion of following a trend. “The trend towards trucking is the trend because we made it the trend,” she commented. “If we don’t make it the trend, then it’s not the trend. So, we need to keep that in mind.”

Ultimately, the committee voted to recommend approval. Following the vote, member Denise Winfrey advised residents to be vigilant. “Listen, use your power that you have. If things are not being conducted there the way they’re supposed to be, call,” she said, instructing them to contact the county’s code enforcement office.