CHICAGO | City Casino

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

The Bally's proposal at the Tribune site looks fine. The garages suck but they are a necessary evil and at least they are interiorly located

Not exactly interior, the largest garage will be right on Chicago Ave. At full buildout there would be a hotel (Building G) that plugs into the garage to face the corner of Chicago/Halsted, but I'm guessing initially it'll just be the raw edge of a garage facing the intersection.

The trade-off is that putting the parking on the edge frees up the middle of the site for a neighborhood pocket park.

It's all a bit conceptual at this point; even after the city selects a casino bid, they will still need to go through a PD process where they hammer out the final layout of roads and buildings.

[thegoatman]

all parking should be underground for a major project like this

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Not exactly interior, the largest garage will be right on Chicago Ave. At full buildout there would be a hotel (Building G) that plugs into the garage to face the corner of Chicago/Halsted, but I'm guessing initially it'll just be the raw edge of a garage facing the intersection.

The trade-off is that putting the parking on the edge frees up the middle of the site for a neighborhood pocket park.

It's all a bit conceptual at this point; even after the city selects a casino bid, they will still need to go through a PD process where they hammer out the final layout of roads and buildings.

Ahh ok.

But lets be honest with ourselves. This site is a wasteland anyway. If we were talking about more of a core downtown location (River North, South Loop, West Loop, etc) I would be far more adamant about hiding the parking better. But this location + the fact that it's a Bally's casino......whatever

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Ahh ok.

But lets be honest with ourselves. This site is a wasteland anyway. If we were talking about more of a core downtown location (River North, South Loop, West Loop, etc) I would be far more adamant about hiding the parking better. But this location + the fact that it's a Bally's casino......whatever

Wait 5 to 10 years...everything Onni is doing. As I've said before -- seen a similar transformation with my own eyes in NYC. I'm not sure how much development a casino will bring but if Onni does everything it says plus Lincoln Yards takes off...watch out.

I was driving thru River West a few days ago along Milwaukee Ave. Totally different now - cant even recognize it much vs. 6 years ago. These are the transformations that get me excited.

[Ricochet48]

Anyone that actually lives in River North on here that supports this?

80% Strongly opposed it based on RNRA survey thus far... I will likely move to a Bucktown townhouse by the time it's up and running, but I'm not excited for my property value to decrease.

[glowrock]

Originally Posted by Ricochet48

Anyone that actually lives in River North on here that supports this?

80% Strongly opposed it based on RNRA survey thus far... I will likely move to a Bucktown townhouse by the time it's up and running, but I'm not excited for my property value to decrease.

Seriously, please leave it you feel that way. Property values will not decrease, roving gangs of murderous thugs aren't going to magically appear. If you're still scared, move.

Aaron (Glowrock)

[galleyfox]

Originally Posted by Ricochet48

80% Strongly opposed it based on RNRA survey thus far...

RNRA might get angry? Don’t threaten the rest of the city with a good time.

The consequences of NIMBYing over every boring-ass condo proposal is that everybody else stops taking them seriously when a more impactful project comes along.

If casinos truly lowered property values in the middle of the city like that, then it would be imperative to avoid building one in the 78, lest the full project never get built.

But major developers investing big money into the surrounding Tribune land parcels tells you that property values are not likely to decline except from competition.

[Briguy]

Originally Posted by glowrock

Seriously, please leave it you feel that way. Property values will not decrease, roving gangs of murderous thugs aren't going to magically appear. If you're still scared, move.

Aaron (Glowrock)

Seriously. It’s is an unpleasant walk On Chicago across the river and past the two austere Montgomery ward buildings before you get to anything even resembling river north. This is people who don’t want to have a view of the casino from their condos. If anything Airbnb potential might make property values go up.

Traffic, however, might be catastrophically bad. It’s already really really bad. BRANCH THE RED LINE DOWN HALSTED!!

[thegoatman]

West River North is a snoozefest/tumbleweed scene. Once you get west of Lasalle, the vibrancy jumps off a cliff. It needs all the development it can get. Same goes for the South Loop

[twister244]

Originally Posted by thegoatman

West River North is a snoozefest/tumbleweed scene. Once you get west of Lasalle, the vibrancy jumps off a cliff. It needs all the development it can get. Same goes for the South Loop

Agreed.....

As I posted before, we just need to get connectivity beefed up along the river. Not sure if there's really a need for any new L stops. If anything, beef up the Grand Blue Line stop. I took the Blue Line to Grand and walked to the West Loop. It really wasn't that far of a walk, and the casino would be closer than that.

This, along with the Omni developments, will create a whole new solid wing of boom along the river to the NW. If anything, this will help bring Wicker Park and Bucktown/Logan to LP and Lakeview. Or that's my hope at least..... Break down the 38th parallel without removing the Kennedy.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by galleyfox

The consequences of NIMBYing over every boring-ass condo proposal is that everybody else stops taking them seriously when a more impactful project comes along.

Yep. It's the urban development equivalent of the little boy who cried wolf.

Act like a clown long enough, and people will eventually see you as a clown.

[gandalf612]

Traffic complaints are always a joke to me. We need people to stop driving. Making driving unbearably slow isn't the best way to do it, but it definitely is an effective way

[OhioGuy]

Originally Posted by Briguy

Traffic, however, might be catastrophically bad. It’s already really really bad. BRANCH THE RED LINE DOWN HALSTED!!

Send the purple line in a subway under Halsted to service the casino and nearby developments and then under Clinton to Ogilvie & Union Station before turning east to Millennium Park and south to Hyde Park/Obama Presidential Center. Funding & construction will be easy!

[bhawk66]

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

Send the purple line in a subway under Halsted to service the casino and nearby developments and then under Clinton to Ogilvie & Union Station before turning east to Millennium Park and south to Hyde Park/Obama Presidential Center. Funding & construction will be easy!

Doesn't Musk also own some high tech tunnel boring company? Put it to work in the city of Wild Onions.

[Chi-Sky21]

Originally Posted by gandalf612

Traffic complaints are always a joke to me. We need people to stop driving. Making driving unbearably slow isn't the best way to do it, but it definitely is an effective way

Sure, but that only really works if there is a good public transportation option which for this location there really is not a good one. The traffic on Halsted in this area once all the developments in Fulton are done is going to be horrible. I have no horse in this race and don't care if the casino goes there but the city is going to need to think of something for this area.

[k1052]

Originally Posted by Ricochet48

Anyone that actually lives in River North on here that supports this?

80% Strongly opposed it based on RNRA survey thus far... I will likely move to a Bucktown townhouse by the time it's up and running, but I'm not excited for my property value to decrease.

Not since I moved out of state but if I was still there I would absolutely support this. NIMBYs can get bent.

[west-town-brad]

I know the official announcement has not been made, but kudos to the mayor for picking the right combo of major brand name, with the most logical and quick to launch site, generating the most tax revenue for the city.

It will be interesting to see who pushes back during the city council vote. There are enough goodies here that it should clear the council with 26 votes no problem. Anyone grandstanding against didn't get a taste so to speak...

[the urban politician]

Yeah, there will be a NIMBY shitstorm over this for sure. Very wealthy area just a few blocks east of this, as everyone knows.

Expect lawsuits and challenges kind of like the Obama Center and the Friends of the Parking Lot scenario. Court delays, etc. Who knows if and when it will get built, but as usual I’m always on the side of NIMBY’s losing

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Yeah, there will be a NIMBY shitstorm over this for sure. Very wealthy area just a few blocks east of this, as everyone knows.

Expect lawsuits and challenges kind of like the Obama Center and the Friends of the Parking Lot scenario. Court delays, etc. Who knows if and when it will get built, but as usual I’m always on the side of NIMBY’s losing

I expect that it's more like lawsuits for Wolf Point. The FOTP lawsuits had *something* to them (i.e. the ordinance). What would this have? People claiming that it's going to do a lot of things like negatively affect their home prices, more crime, etc. All speculative and I'd have a hard time believing any judge would rule in their favor..just like when that condo association tried to sue Wolf Point and lost.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Yeah, there will be a NIMBY shitstorm over this for sure. Very wealthy area just a few blocks east of this, as everyone knows.

Expect lawsuits and challenges kind of like the Obama Center and the Friends of the Parking Lot scenario. Court delays, etc. Who knows if and when it will get built, but as usual I’m always on the side of NIMBY’s losing

I'll be interested to see what the legal argument is.

On the one hand, the River District has been approved and on the books for years with no court challenges, this is just a different use but there's no proof it will generate more traffic than the office and residential highrises that would have gone there otherwise.

On the other hand, Crain's has done a good job pointing out some potentially concerning facts about the Bally proposal - the "2-for-1" discount on application fees, the fact that the city's impartial analyst has a long-time relationship with Bally, etc.

For Obama I think the court delays weren't a critical issue because they needed the time to fundraise anyway. For Bally's, a court delay could seriously hurt the financial benefit to the city. Hopefully the temporary casino can get up and running while the court process plays out over the permanent plan.

Originally Posted by Briguy

Traffic, however, might be catastrophically bad. It’s already really really bad. BRANCH THE RED LINE DOWN HALSTED!!

I don't think so. The traffic plan is actually really good. Right now everyone has to take Chicago or Halsted, but the Bally's plan will put a 2nd main entrance to the site on Grand, and it will link Erie into the site as well. If you're coming from the west, you can cut down Milwaukee to Erie (which is a ghost town with literally zero traffic) and come in that way. And with everybody using live traffic data these days (Google Maps, Waze, etc) you can bet that drivers will learn about the new routes very quickly.

I haven't even gotten into the bike, pedestrian, or transit aspects yet... this will provide a major missing link in the Riverwalk trail, so people could walk on off-street trails almost all the way from Union Station or DuSable Harbor with only a few small detours. The new Erie pedestrian bridge will make walking westward from River North a lot more appealing than the narrow sidewalks on Chicago Ave. And I assume this will push the city to prioritize the North Branch Transitway they've been talking about for years, now that they have some skin in the game.