Medinah Temple needs a new use . . .

Maybe so, but the Thompson center area would not be able to provide the affordable parking needed for a casino, I believe. Also if the Mayor is speaking of an entertainment area component, then would the Thompson center area meet that criteria?.

Do you prefer a tower located in this place (south McCormick) ...

http://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/...dc&oe=5F0B9B11

or in the Loop? :)

http://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/...23&oe=5F0A2628

Apparently Mercy Hospital is closing? https://www.chicagobusiness.com/heal...spital-closing

That's where the casino should go.

Interesting... the trick is convincing people to walk across the Stevenson trench. If they can do something to the bridge on Michigan (wider sidewalks, landscaping, etc) to lure people down from Motor Row than I think it could be a great site. I have my usual concerns about urban design, but I think this site could allow for something closer to the traditional casino design with plenty of on-site parking, big gaming floors and a hotel tower. Just need to arrange those elements in an urban way.

Motor Row was always tossed around as an option, but it would be very challenging to acquire enough land there and deal with historic preservation issues... Mercy is a ready-made site that is basically a blank slate. I doubt the alderman would be on board, and there are other political challenges to redeveloping these sites... Michael Reese has taken over 10 years to get off the dime, and they still haven't broken ground. I imagine the same folks who protested Lincoln Yards will also come out against a casino on this site, if they think the casino factored into the decision to close the hospital.

New Green line stop around 26th and State. Problem solved ;)

I think the Casino would lure people on its own, but landscaping on Michigan would help bring casino people to Motor Row, which would be nice. Maybe even a nice plaza with a small outdoor entertainment space might make sense, although that would be costly (as would an infill Green Line site at 26th street, which this could catalyze). I bet a casino could actually use the high-rise portion of the hospital as a hotel if it wanted too though.

Somebody needs to copy/paste this to city halls bulletin board/Lightfoots desk. It's practically gift wrapped.

I'm sure Mercy will hire a broker to market the property, if that broker doesn't shop it as a casino site then they're basically negligent.

Lightfoot doesn't seem like she's in a rush to do a casino deal while Covid is ongoing. Seems like she's more focused on getting the Obama Center done for the time being. Also, she hasn't indicated whether she will have the city select a site and then shop it to operators, or whether she will expect different operators to find their own sites.

The city is out with an RFI for casino operators now:
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/dept...formation.html

It's a good sign that they are looking to take industry feedback into account from the start... obviously the city should not roll over for the casino operator on every detail but I'm glad they are not coming out and dictating a short list of "acceptable" casino sites, etc. that could be a poison pill for operators or at least seriously handicap the potential revenue. Developing this casino will need to be collaborative between the city and the operator.

They need to hurry up and build this, would be an excellent looting spot...

No message

Lori and her failed administration saw it as another thing to botch and further tank the city, so don't expect much.

LOL I'm sure any casino operator will have real security like a bank and not just the low-grade rent-a-cops that other places have.

The trick will be convincing them not to design a blank wall fortress like most other urban casinos.

Chicago doesn’t need a casino. Casinos are urban and social blight.

Based on the amount of unemployed and unskilled people living in Chicago I think Chicago definitely needs a casino.

By that logic then most cities in the US need a casino.

we are well on our way....

http://lasvegas-hotel-casino-reviews...-locations.png

I wouldn’t say most but many... Yes. Look At Chicago’s poverty rate and % people without a high school diploma.

Actually, for the top 10 most populous cities in America Chicago ranks highly in terms of educational attainment. I know all about this data. The poverty rate in Chicago is also on par with that of NYC and given a margin of error from the ACS ranks around the middle (NYC, Dallas, San Antonio, and Chicago are all fairly similar).

2018, Percentage of people 25+ with less than a HS degree

1. San Diego: 13.02%
2. Chicago: 14.12%
3. Philadelphia: 14.13%
4. San Jose: 14.29%
5. Phoenix: 16.87%
6. New York City: 17.29%
7. San Antonio: 17.73%
8. Houston: 21.42%
9. Dallas: 21.54%
10. Los Angeles: 22.41%

Source: Table S1501, 2018 American Community Survey 1 year (https://data.census.gov/)


2018, Percentage of people 25+ with Bachelor's degree or higher

1. San Diego: 46.02%
2. San Jose: 42.06%
3. Chicago: 39.40%
4. New York City: 38.98%
5. Los Angeles: 34.49%
6. Dallas: 33.61%
7. Houston: 32.92%
8. Philadelphia: 30.88%
9. Phoenix: 28.91%
10. San Antonio: 25.76%

Source: Table S1501, 2018 American Community Survey 1 year (https://data.census.gov/)

2018, Percentage of people below 50% of poverty level
1. San Jose: 3.81%
2. Phoenix: 6.41%
3. San Diego: 6.53%
4. Los Angeles: 6.83%
5. New York City: 7.69%
6. Dallas: 8.00%
7. Chicago: 8.04%
8. San Antonio: 8.11%
9. Houston: 9.33%
10. Philadelphia: 11.11%

Source: Table S1701, 2018 American Community Survey 1 year (https://data.census.gov/)

2018, Percentage of households making $100K+ income

1. San Jose: 55.19%
2. San Diego: 39.76%
3. New York City: 33.23%
4. Los Angeles: 31.42%
5. Chicago: 29.05%
6. Phoenix: 25.52%
7. Houston: 23.98%
8. Dallas: 23.55%
9. Philadelphia: 20.67%
10. San Antonio: 19.75%

Source: Table B19001, 2018 American Community Survey 1 year (https://data.census.gov/)