Neighbors still concerned about crime, traffic near Bally's planned temporary casino at Medinah Temple
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Bally's is moving forward with plans to build a temporary casino in River North – but many people living in the neighborhood say they still have concerns.
As CBS 2's Tara Molina reported Tuesday, everyone from residents to city officials has been speaking out from the beginning about the plans for the temporary casino at Medinah Temple, at 600 N. Wabash Ave.
Now, some say the least Bally's can do is address concerns and be transparent in the process.
Medinah Temple is located smack-dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle of River North. The Chicago landmark was built in 1912 for the Masonic Order of the Mystic Shrine, and housed a 4,200-seat auditorium before being redeveloped into a Bloomingdale's Home and Furniture store two decades ago.
The space has been vacant since 2020. But it will soon be the home of a temporary Bally's casino, while the permanent site at Halsted Street and Chicago Avenue is constructed.
But as state plans move forward to make the site official, concerns remain.
"It's really just safety, traffic, and parking - and having public input in the process," said concerned resident Malek Abdulsamad.
Abdulsamad lives directly across the street – in the closest residential building to the casino. He also sits on the board of his building.
"We're still dealing with a lot of safety concerns here," he said.
He said Bally's own security plan is not a panacea for all those concerns.
"I understand Bally's has a great plan to secure the building and secure the lock," Abdulsamad said. "They are not going to secure the neighborhood."
There is also a concern about parking.
"The burden of parking is going to fall on the public garages that are around here, but all of these garages are running at capacity during the summer, during peak events and during the weekend," Abdulsamad said.
The residents' concerns are echoed by a formal nine-page report put together by the River North Residents Association.
"This is going to affect quality of life, and we don't want it to affect it in a negative way," said Brian Israel of the River North Residents Association.
Israel also expressed concerns about crime.
"Public safety is number one on everyone's mind. We have already had significant crime and we don't want it to get any worse," he said. "We know CPD is going to do their best to take care of us, but Bally's should do whatever they can and should do to supplement that effort."
Israel called for working together.
"It's important for people to remember we are not adversaries in this, we just have differing objectives and priorities," he said.
The residents' association report was shared with city officials and departments, and with those with Bally's.
"We know that this is going to happen, but we think we can make some changes in order to lessen negative impacts," Israel said.
Those changes include suggestions such as "regular external security patrols for four blocks in every direction," a request to "assign Bally's security personnel for escorting patrons and staff, and patrolling area parking garages," installing license plate readers and surveillance cameras, coordinating efforts with police, and publishing traffic, parking, security, and infrastructure studies.
"They reiterate a lot of the things I've been saying all along," Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) said of the River North Residents Association and their report.
Reilly said public safety plans exist for the casino, but are not being shared.
"We need to get our hands on the public safety plan to make sure this site is secure," Reilly said. "We also need to know how traffic is going to work."
Reilly says Bally's has refused to share the public safety action plan and traffic action plan for the Medinah Temple site, despite repeated requests for both.
"In asking for copies of these plans, we've been told by Bally's they can't share them because they're in front of the Illinois Gaming Board right now - which kind of defies the whole purpose of transparency around a big public transaction like this," Reilly said.
Reilly is not the only one who'd like access to those reports.
"We hope to see them as soon as possible, and we hope they're negotiable with the neighborhood," Abdulsamad said.
The Streeterville Organization of Active Residents, for which Abdulsamad is also on the board, issued this statement from organization president Deborah Gershbein:
"The SOAR Board of Directors is unanimously opposed to the Bally's interim casino in the former Medinah Temple location on Wabash between Ohio and Ontario, the two main arteries in and out of Streeterville and the near northside. The streets and area around this location are already overly congested with traffic. The addition of a casino in this area will present many complications for residents and workers. There is no available parking for visitors to the casino, there is no place to stop to drop off gamblers and absolutely no place for tour buses in this area. The roads are narrow and buses will block lanes. This is quite problematic for the neighborhoods that adjoin this location. The resident associations have opposed this location from the very beginning, but it doesn't seem to matter what the residents say, as no one is listening anymore. The city does whatever it wants to do regardless of the impact on the quality of life for those who live and work here and pay taxes. This is a very bad location for a casino. Traffic is only one problem, there are also safety concerns for those who live nearby. The casino hours are not consistent with the neighborhood and are bound to cause additional crime in the area.
"We do not support the decision to add an interim casino in the former Medinah Temple."
Bally's responded to our requests with a link to the traffic study they commissioned and published last year – which is available to the public on the city's website.
Ald. Reilly maintains there is more they aren't sharing.
We have also reached the Mayor's office, which released this statement: "The City understands that working with community members impacted by this project is critical to ensuring the casino's success. That's why the City and Bally's have been working together to address concerns and recommendations from community stakeholders like River North Residents Association (RNRA). The RNRA also has representation on the Casino Community Advisory Council (CAC), and they have been involved in the ongoing process."
