Quote:
Originally Posted by west-town-brad
"… working with the developer, government should identify a zone within the city that would be designated as an entertainment/commercial development zone. This zone would have within it certain qualities that assure compatibility with surrounding businesses such as restaurants, nightclubs, hotels and theaters. The zone would also be near both mass transit and the region’s highways and the site should be of sufficient size to support a gaming enterprise. An urban casino stands the greatest chance of success when it is located on a site that is mutually compatible with surrounding businesses. "
|
IMO, the area in Chicago that best fits the description in the paragraph above is the area bounded roughly by Randolph, LaSalle, Oak St and Fairbanks/Columbus. A couple possible sites for a casino come to mind, including the block bounded by Wabash, Illinois, Hubbard and Rush, but I think the best site would be the Thompson Center. Because it’s a great building that’s begging to be restored and repurposed.
Helmut Jahn has a couple proposals to do this, none of which include a casino. Here’s a
link to his latest, which includes retail, offices, a hotel and apartments. It's fairly detailed; for example, showing the floor plan for 55 hotel rooms on the 14th floor. The office space is shown on floors three thru eight, which I think is enough space for a casino.
Ardecila:
The Leiter’s an interesting idea. Another opportunity to repurpose a large old building (I remember when it was Sears) and much better than an “island model” development. But still, the area around Leiter is not as tourist-attractive as the North Loop and River North.