"You can't stop progress," is a cliche sometimes used to justify plans to build more warehouses in and around Joliet.

The adage doesn't quite seem to work when applied to the prospect of the former Joliet Country Club being converted into a warehouse complex.

Joliet can't support a country club anymore.

That actually had been the case for years as the club struggled with debt left over from the construction of a new clubhouse, saw membership decline in the wake of the recession, and eventually gave up ownership of its property to the ROC real estate group.

It became public knowledge in 2018 when the club announced that it was giving up management of its facilities to ROC, which opened the course to the public.

The renamed Joliet Golf Course open to the public had one season in 2019.

ROC announced last week the club is now closed.

ROC is considering warehouses for the site, although there is no rezoning proposal yet before the city.

Still, the idea is jarring enough that Councilwoman Jan Quillman declared her opposition to it at the City Council meeting last week.

"I don't want warehouses there. It's too beautiful," Quillman said.

She may be right.

But city officials may have found out what if feels like for residents on the outskirts of the city who have objected for years as Joliet approved rezonings that allowed warehouses close to their neighborhoods.

"You can't stop progress," may be a line used when NorthPoint Development takes its proposal to annex 1,260 acres into Joliet for the Compass Business Park to the Joliet Plan Commission on Feb. 24.

It may be said again on March 17 when the City Council is tentatively scheduled to vote on the NorthPoint plan.

But no one said it to Quillman on Tuesday.

Instead, the council may have sent a signal to ROC to abandon any warehouse plans it may have.

"You heard some of the council comments yesterday," Councilman Pat Mudron said the next day. "They're going to have a hard time getting enough votes."

Mudron said he would probably have to recuse himself from voting on any rezoning for the golf course. He was president of the country club when it dissolved and, as he said, "turned over the keys" to ROC.

ROC's attorney said the owners are still considering options for the Joliet Golf Club.

They even approached the Joliet Park District in January to see if the park board was interested in buying the golf course. The park board, which has three golf courses now and is dealing with its own financial challenges, said no.

In the weeks ahead, we may find out what progress looks like on the 1,260 acres NorthPoint wants to annex into the city and what it looks like at the former country club at 1009 Spencer Road.

Read more:

Progress seen from a different perspective - The Herald-News