Manteno holds public hearing on annexation, proposed heavy‑industrial zoning for 72.56‑acre Martin property

Manteno — The Manteno Village Board held a public hearing April 7 on an annexation agreement and zoning change to bring about 72.56 acres owned by the Martin family into the village and designate it I‑2 (heavy industrial).

The property, described by the owner’s representative as a roughly 72‑acre parcel immediately southwest of East 7000 North Road and north of North 1000 East Road, was disconnected from the Village of Bourbonnais in late 2024 and subsequently fell under a county disconnection ordinance that assigns the nearest consistent municipal zoning. Ken Carlson, representing the owner, said bringing the land into Manteno would allow the village to set the regulatory terms for future development. "There are no provisions in this agreement that exempt us from any significant laws or regulations of the village," Carlson said, and he told the board the annexation agreement requires street improvements including work on 1000 East and contemplates 7000 North.

Why it matters: The change would shift planning and permitting authority from the county to Manteno for this parcel. Residents said rezoning from light industrial (I‑1) to heavy industrial (I‑2) could allow uses they consider incompatible with nearby homes and would bring heavy truck traffic and other impacts unless carefully controlled.

At the hearing, residents pressed for specifics on potential users and safeguards. Amanda Piker, who said the site had been zoned I‑1 while in Kankakee County, warned, "When this is annexed, it becomes heavy industrial, and that parcel of land is not surrounded by heavy industrial on that side of it." She also said she and other residents feared a plant was already planned at the site; Carlson and village officials repeatedly said no plant or contract exists now. "There is no plant. There is no contract," Carlson said.

David Bridal, who identified himself as a long‑time member of the county planning commission, said his primary concerns were not the zoning designation itself but provisions in the annexation agreement. "I have far deeper reservations with some elements in the annexation agreement than I have with the straight up zoning," Bridal said, citing language that originally did not require sidewalks, bike connections or developer responsibility for improvements on 7000 North. Bridal and other residents asked why full documentation and plan drawings were not provided at the hearing; the board acknowledged residents had limited materials at the meeting.

Village staff and the owner’s representative told the board they had added language the afternoon before the hearing clarifying the developer’s responsibility to pay for improvements to 7000 North should that road reopen or be modified. Carlson said the change was made to address that contingency.

Several speakers raised worries about traffic and the condition of nearby roads if a large industrial user eventually developed the property. One longtime resident urged that any development be required to make road repairs "at their expense and not the village." Officials responded that, under the terms being discussed, roadway improvements associated with development would be the developer’s responsibility.

Board action: The annexation, related zoning and the annexation agreement were placed on the meeting’s consent agenda and were approved later in the meeting as part of the omnibus consent vote.

What’s next: The annexation ordinance, the zoning ordinance designating the site I‑2 and the annexation agreement were approved on the consent agenda; if a developer files formal site plans in the future those plans will return for staff review and likely public hearings. Residents who opposed immediate rezoning urged the incoming village administration to continue public outreach and insist on clear mitigation measures.

Ending: The board closed the public hearing after taking comments and then returned to other agenda items; the annexation ordinances were approved on the consent agenda later in the April 7 meeting.