Manteno Adds More Heavy Industrial

Despite commentary from residents at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting a couple of weeks ago, the Manteno Village Board unanimously approved an annexation and the rezoning of a 72.56-acre parcel southwest of East 7000 North Road and North 1000 East Road. 

The property is just south of the South Creek Estates subdivision and was annexed into the village and rezoned I-2 Heavy Industrial in the same meeting. The action comes less than a week after the election in which Manteno Freedom Party mayoral and anti-Gotion candidate, Annette LaMore, won the election.

Village Attorney Joseph Cainkar said the annexation and zoning was in the works for quite some time despite the property being acquired by the company Martin Rentals, CJM, LLC, last September.

Many residents expressed concerns the zoning was being pushed through just before the newly elected mayor and board take office in just a month. One more board meeting and the new board could have voted on the annexation and the rezoning.

Attorney for Martin CJM Rentals, Ken Carlson, said there was no plan for any development or industrial in the works, and the property is in an industrial development corridor that has been in the works for some time.

The property was originally within the Bourbonnais village limits. With a renegotiation of the boundary lines, the property went to county and is now annexed into Manteno.

Carlson said, “There are no provisions in the agreement that exempt us from any significant law or regulations of the village. It requires the improvement of streets, including the adjacent 1000 as well as the 7000.”

“It’s really important to understand, this sets the footprint for zoning for that property. It gives the owners the ability to market the property for what it needs to be and be consistent with other properties in the area. That’s the reason for the timing of this, so it can get in there to be done because it’s a big issue you check off the list when you’re trying to attract industrial development into Manteno.”

Resident Amanda Piker said the property was light industrial in Bourbonnais, that it’s not surrounded by heavy industrial, and she believes there is a plan for the village to put in a heavy industrial plant against the South Creek residential development.

Carlson was sure to refute the claim and say there’s no plan, there’s no secretive deals, that it’s happening because it’s good for the village. 

Resident Bill Barnes first asked how long the owner has held the property; Carlson said a couple years. “I find it interesting there’s no plans, yet we’re trying to push through a zoning for heavy industrial, you have no plans and no client. Yet, conventionally we’re pushing it through as this mayor’s leaving and a few other trustees, to rush it through. It just screams of another secret Gotion deal, whether your client has somebody or not. If it’s light industrial, leave it light industrial. When you have somebody that comes in, then you rezone it. So then you know what you’re dealing with. Now you’re just shooting in the dark. Here’s another Gotion deal. Here you go.”

Barnes’ comment received applause from the audience.

Bourbonnais de-annexed the property in September of last year. Attorney Cainkar again reiterated that it’s been in the works for quite some time.

Resident and potentially elected trustee pending the mail in ballot count, Mike Barry, asked how the village presents something without any information made public to the residents. No information was projected on the screens, and the information presented was not posted to the village website.

The annexation agreement spells out many provisions for development, mostly allowing the village to have final say on the site improvement when an owner seeks building permits for the territory. The nearly 30-page document acknowledges the owner may want incentives and tax breaks to develop the property and the village acknowledges the intent of the property is to be developed. What type of development is yet to be defined, but the heavy industrial zoning still left many residents uneasy.

Resident, attorney, and former planning and zoning commission member, David Bergdahl said he had concerns with the annexation agreement more than the zoning. He said the 30-page annexation agreement is incomplete, and the owner has no responsibility to develop 7000. 

“This is a wildly expensive decision if the state decides to redo 7000N and we’ve got to pay to put in a truck route because we entered into an agreement that said you don’t have to worry about a truck route on the north side of the property that’s two and half times as long as the east side of the property,” said Bergdahl. Cainkar said provisions were added after the fact for 7000, but the agreement was not shared with the public prior to the meeting.

“You’ve got to dot your i’s and cross your t’s and be transparent with people. People come in, after you put the notice in the newspaper, and they can’t get a copy of the agreement. They walk into the public hearing, there’s no information passed out to them. You walk into the village board public hearing, all they’ve got is the map on the back of the wall. I dare say, you’re not doing a good job of going out, Mr. Mayor,” said Bergdahl.

The annexation and rezoning unanimously was approved.