Joliet undecided about April 7 vote on NorthPoint

The city of Joliet has not ruled out a public hearing and vote on the NorthPoint plan on April 7, a date on which the governor's stay-at-home order will still be in effect.

Mayor Bob O'Dekirk said Tuesday that the city is looking at options but has not made a decision about the meeting.

"We don't know what we're going to do," O'Dekirk said. "We're talking to the attorney general's office."

City legal staff is consulting with the Illinois Attorney General's office and other municipalities, he said.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker's stay-at-home order to combat spread of the coronavirus runs through April 7.

The regularly scheduled pre-council and regular meetings of the City Council fall on April 6 and 7.

The city postponed a public hearing and vote on NorthPoint's plan for the Compass Business Park that had been scheduled for March 17 out of concern of a large number of people coming to City Hall over the controversial issue at a time that public health authorities warned against large public gatherings because of the coronavirus.

Stephanie Irvine with the Just Say No to NorthPoint group said the public hearing and vote on NorthPoint should be pushed back again.

"You can't tell people to not come to a public hearing. That's the whole purpose of it," Irvine said.

Opponents will come to the public hearing if it is held April 7, she said.

NorthPoint spokesman Scott Burnham said the developer was taking no position on whether the vote should be held.

"That's up to the city," Burnham said. "We'll take direction from them."