CHICAGO | City Casino

[marothisu]

As a former resident a few blocks from Mag Mile near Water Tower Place, I guarantee you that an actual upscale casino would go over better with the residents than a Target.

But of course, I think we'd be seeing some of the same arguments as the other casinos have gotten such as crime and traffic. Noise and foot traffic though, it kind of comes with the territory. I think people who live in and around there are more receptive to that as right there isn't exactly typically a sleepy quiet
all residential area.

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by rivernorthlurker

Casino shoulda gone in next the United Center. A gazillion parking lots to build on top of - and rebuilt the United Center while they were at it!

I thought that made a lot of sense and was surprised there was not a serious proposal near the UC. A captive audience of around 20k milling around the area for 80-100 events a year would have guaranteed a few extra hundred or even thousands on UC event nights.

I think if the casino goes at the 78 eventually the Sox may consider building over the Amtrak Yards across the river when JR sells the team. I could see that becoming a symbiotic entertainment district of sorts down the road. It would also correct the wrong move of the Sox not moving to the South Loop in the early 90's.

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I still believe the Red Line stop was part of a package to attract intense office use to the site. Related tried pitching The 78 to office tenants and apparently struck out big time, so they've reduced the office component to almost nothing. CTA access doesn't matter as much for casino, residential or even DPI.

Always seemed silly to me to think this would have a high density (or at least a larger scale) office component. Why would Related have thought that was realistic? Suppose no harm in testing out the market to see if you get lucky and any large fish happened to bite, but it was just a very long shot.

As always, what makes the most sense here is for the overwhelmingly largest component to be residential.

There's a possibility you could get something that builds off of DPI, a little section of the overall development that's a little r&d/lab/tech stuff going. That would be nice but hard to imagine it challenging residential for dominant use here.

Just hope the casino here doesn't win. That just throws everything off, and I think there's the prospect that the overall project could become just an ugly suburbanesque mess if it winds up getting 'anchored' by a casino and then everything else to be developed needs to somehow be synergistic with it.

[west-town-brad]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Always seemed silly to me to think this would have a high density (or at least a larger scale) office component. Why would Related have thought that was realistic? Suppose no harm in testing out the market to see if you get lucky and any large fish happened to bite, but it was just a very long shot.

As always, what makes the most sense here is for the overwhelmingly largest component to be residential.

There's a possibility you could get something that builds off of DPI, a little section of the overall development that's a little r&d/lab/tech stuff going. That would be nice but hard to imagine it challenging residential for dominant use here.

Just hope the casino here doesn't win. That just throws everything off, and I think there's the prospect that the overall project could become just an ugly suburbanesque mess if it winds up getting 'anchored' by a casino and then everything else to be developed needs to somehow be synergistic with it.

was the 78 one of those silly HQ2 sites we tried to pitch to Amazon?

[Mr Downtown]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

Always seemed silly to me to think this would have a high density (or at least a larger scale) office component. Why would Related have thought that was realistic?

Same reason people talk about office at Lincoln Yards or the west end of Fulton Market. The old rules about where employers are willing to locate no longer seem to apply. I could see one of our big regional suburban employers, someone like Caterpillar or Allstate or Walgreens, doing a corporate headquarters on the periphery of the Loop that young city-dwellers don't dismiss out of hand but that valuable/venerable suburban execs could drive to if they wanted. Think about exactly what McDonald's did eight years ago.

[ardecila]

^^ Exactly, although I will note that Fulton Market's success is unique.

The question is whether other developers can replicate the success of Fulton Market elsewhere. So far, the answer has been no, but I'm not sure how much of that is Covid effects vs fundamentals in the downtown office market.

[Randomguy34]

Ald. Dowell comes out against Hard Rock casino at One Central

In a statement, Dowell said a proposal by Hard Rock to locate a casino as part of the larger proposed One Central development would disrupt the neighborhood, potentially hurt public safety and raises financial questions. The Hard Rock site straddles the border of Dowell’s ward and that of the Ald. Sophia King, 4th.

“I fully support building a casino in Chicago," Dowell said. "I have been a champion of numerous large-scale, impactful developments throughout my time (in government)."

“But the devil is in the details,” she continued, and the proposed gambling center fails the “delicate balance” of city and local concerns.

The proposed facility “would be dropped into an existing, well-established family community,” said Dowell, who’s running for the 1st District U.S. House seat being vacated by the retiring Rep. Bobby Rush. “I have concerns about the density of the hard Rock Casino proposal…the public safety impacts…the financials…(and) the infrastructure needs.”

Beyond that, Dowell said, though Hard Rock officials have said their plan can and will move separately from One Central, “The community and I are having a very difficult time separating the two interrelated projects,” Dowell concluded. “A casino in Chicago is needed and warranted. Just not at One Central.”

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/greg...no-one-central

[Mr Downtown]

^What's kind of odd about this is that technically none of the Hard Rock casino proposal is in Dowell's ward; because the casino is entirely south of 18th it's currently in Ald. King's 4th Ward. I can't see any way that the casino is technically dependent on One Central, though that is where they're getting their claimed transit access (and possibly things like loading and vehicular access as well).



As far as I can tell, none of the alderpersons of affected wards are on the committee Lightfoot set up to do the deed, though Reilly is.

[sentinel]

Chicago has double the number of alderpeople it actually needs.

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by sentinel

Chicago has double the number of alderpeople it actually needs.

Two-thirds. At least.

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by west-town-brad

was the 78 one of those silly HQ2 sites we tried to pitch to Amazon?

Correct.

[SIGSEGV]

Reilly sent out a survey today. Would be a shame if someone randomly posted it on an internet forum. https://myemail.constantcontact.com/...id=MDZwx1VLcLU

[ardecila]

^ Thank you!

[Randomguy34]

Chicago Casino Plans Rejected By All 3 Alderpeople Who Represent Potential Sites

RIVER WEST — Chicago is making grand plans to open a world-class casino — but none of the alderpeople who represent the potential sites want a gambling mecca in their ward.

Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th) is the latest alderperson to say he doesn’t want a casino as Bally’s is lobbying to open at the Tribune Publishing site in his ward. Burnett’s rejection follows Alds. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) and Pat Dowell (3rd), who are contending with casino bids from Rivers, which has its sights set on The 78 megadevelopment, and Hard Rock, which aims to open near Soldier Field.

Burnett told Block Club Wednesday that he “really doesn’t want to be bothered” with a casino.

“No one wants to be in this position because you’re darned if you do, darned if you don’t,” the veteran alderman said.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/04...tential-sites/

[bnk]

Fuck those alder people


They should be crushed into dust.

Where is Rahm when we need real leadership?


Billions of dollars in development and thousands of jobs could be held up by 3 ass clowns?


Enough is enough


Just steam roll them. They are just one of too many.

[thegoatman]

^Facts. Rahm would have told these people to go fuck themselves (as he should).

This casino is getting built on way or another, one of them are going to have to suck it up.

[nomarandlee]

I would be relieved if I was Lightfoot that all 3 came out against it for their wards. This makes the decision to disregard all three of them easier. It would be more awkward to not pick the one site that wasn't objected to. Now she can just pick a site based on its own merits hopefully.

[ithakas]

Yeah I think in this instance both the mayor and the aldermen know it's going forward regardless of opposition, so it's an easy political win for an alderman to come out against it for their ward.

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by ithakas

Yeah I think in this instance both the mayor and the aldermen know it's going forward regardless of opposition, so it's an easy political win for an alderman to come out against it for their ward.

Bingo.

[Mr. Chicago]

Mr. Chicago here,
Again may I suggest Goose Island? It is waiting for just this kind of development. What alderman would object to this project there on the island?