Will County Gazette

The Joliet City Council received various opinions regarding a rezoning motion that they voted on.

Eight citizens of Joliet appeared at the Sept. 6 City Council meeting to voice their views on an item the council was voting on pertaining to rezoning and use of land from residential to light industrial for the Kingsman Industrial Park. Seven of them spoke in opposition to the change and requested that the council vote it down, while one was in favor of the concept. Most were against it based on concerns of home value, health and safety in neighborhoods, and desires of the community.

"Yes, bringing new businesses in is a great thing for Joliet brings up tax base, but also making sure that our residents are well taken care of and they feel safe in their community," City of Joliet Commissioner Garland Mayes said. "We cannot burden these residents with something that they don't want. And I understand as a business man, you know, he's probably a great guy. A gentleman came up, say he's a veteran. God bless him. He's a good business man. We understand that. But it's overall what the citizens want."

The rezoning would impact 25 acres in the neighborhood and alter them from single-family homes to light residential lots. The City staff members from Planning and Zoning reassured citizens that the zoning would mean small businesses such as plumbers, painters or other trades having warehouses or small shops in the area, not large industries that would be trucking things in and out throughout the day.

The developer is Ryan Hill, a U.S. veteran. 

Hill spoke about how the project was laid out and proposed in order to start an area for smaller businesses and to prevent a larger-scale operation from taking over the lot. He described the “industrial condos” he envisions for the lots as being small offices, shops and storage spaces for trades and artisans.

The motion passed by a 5-3 vote.