Bally's casino plan gets zoning change approval; full City Council vote expected Wednesday
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Bally's plans for a $1.7 billion casino in River West cleared another key regulatory hurdle on Tuesday.
In a 10-4 vote, the City Council Zoning Committee signed off on Bally's plans for a casino and entertainment complex on the site of the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center printing plant along the west bank of the Chicago River near Halsted Street and Chicago Avenue.
The first phase of the plan will include the casino, a 500-room hotel, nearly a dozen restaurants, an event center and a new theater. Future phases will include up to 4,800 apartments and condos, 250 hotel rooms, retail space, and a new public park.
The project is expected to create 3,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs at the casino and entertainment complex.
The only no votes in the Zoning Committee were from Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) and Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), who represent two wards neighboring the proposed casino site, and have been vocal opponents of Mayor Lori Lightfoot's push for the Bally's casino plan; and Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) and Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th), both frequent Lightfoot critics.
The Chicago Plan Commission signed off on the project on Monday, and at that meeting, Ald. Walter Burnett (27th), whose ward will be home to the Bally's casino, had threatened to "raise a lot of hell" at Tuesday's Zoning Committee meeting if he didn't see Bally's workforce development plan with Chicago labor unions, to ensure sufficient hiring of minorities.
Burnett said Tuesday he had seen the documents he wanted, and said he's confident Bally's will keep its commitment for hiring minorities and local residents.
The full City Council is expected to sign off on the zoning changes needed for the project on Wednesday. The full City Council previously approved Bally's casino bid in May by a 41-7 vote.
Bally's is still awaiting approval of its casino license from the Illinois Gaming Board.
Bally's plans to open a temporary casino in the landmark Medinah Temple building in River North in the second quarter of 2023, with the permanent casino in River West expected to open in the first quarter of 2026.
Critics have accused the Lightfoot administration of ramming the Bally's plan through City Council without properly addressing concerns about how the already congested River West neighborhood will handle the influx of additional traffic, or how the casino might lead to an increase in crime.
City officials have said the casino ultimately will generate $200 million a year in tax revenue for the city, which will go towards the city's woefully underfunded police and fire pension systems. Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her allies said earlier this year that without the casino revenue, the city would be forced to seek a major property tax increase to shore up those pension funds.
