Questions, concerns, and skepticism dominate townhall on Chicago Bally's casino plan
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Bally's Corporation won over Mayor Lori Lightfoot with their plan for a Chicago casino in River West, but now, they need to get the neighborhood onboard.
As CBS 2's Jermont Terry reported, Bally's Corporation held a town hall meeting Thursday night at the UIC Forum, at 1213 S. Halsted St. exactly two miles south of the proposed casino site. Company executives and other stakeholders answered community questions about the planned casino – and there were a lot of questions and plenty of concerns.
This was the third town hall meeting about the Chicago casino plan, but the first since Mayor Lightfoot officially picked Bally's for a casino at the site of the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center publishing plant, near Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street in River West.
It is safe to say the town hall gatherings amount to a campaign to drum up support for the plan.
The renderings of the Bally's casino will transform the look of River West. Bally's has also announced partnerships with The Second City for entertainment and with West Loop restauranters The Publican and Avec for dining for the $1.7 billion project.
But the idea for the casino still doesn't sit well with many in the community.
"I don't want this in anybody's backyard, Jermont," River North Residents Association President Brian Israel told CBS 2's Terry. "I think Chicago can do better than this."
Israel represents some 23,000 homeowners, a large percentage of whom believe the Tribune site for Bally's just doesn't add up.
"There are many studies that conclude that casinos increase the likelihood of increases in certain types of crime," Israel said. "I'm sure you're aware that they suggest that it will have a negative impact on property values."
At the town hall, Bally's Board Chairman Soohyung Kim touted that Bally's is the fastest-growing gaming company in the country.
"We're here to build a flagship property that we can call the center of our gaming empire, quote-unquote," Kim said.
Kim was joined by city heads for the town hall. All those presenting were fully aware they have a lot of convincing to do to get those in River West onboard.
"We weren't born yesterday," Kim said.
Bally's insisted it will invest in the community. Officials say the casino itself will create 6,000 jobs, and the city has required that of the 3,000 construction jobs, 25 percent must be minority workers.
But many question how that is possible with the current workforce.
"Why are we not getting men and women trained right now?" said developer Melvin Bailey. "Why don't you just start saying, 'Hey, you all come on in, we'll start getting you all prepared now, so when the site be ready, you all will be ready.'"
Kim insisted at the town hall, "We're going to be good to labor, and we're going to be good to minority underrepresented groups."
But to River West residents, they questioned why a town hall meeting for something planned for their neighborhood was not even held in their neighborhood – but instead two miles away in University Village.
"It is an obvious thumb to the eye to the people who are most concerned about this," Israel said.
As Bally's and the city continue on with more town halls, the fact remains that the City Council still has to approve the plan, and then it will head to Illinois Gaming Board.