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Casino zoning clears City Council panel as alderperson accepts hiring assurances
Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th) talks about Bally’s casino proposal Tuesday during a meeting of the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Zoning for a Bally’s casino in Chicago got the blessing Tuesday of a City Council committee as a key alderperson accepted the company’s promises to hire minorities.
Ald. Walter Burnett Jr., whose 27th Ward includes the casino site near Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street, praised the project rather than “raise a lot of hell.” He threatened that on Monday if by Tuesday he didn’t see written agreements Bally’s had made with labor unions.
At the meeting of the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards, Burnett said he has seen some documents and been given a commitment from Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration about minority hiring. After Burnett spoke, the committee endorsed the casino zoning on a 10-4 vote.
Burnett mentioned the project’s complexity and Bally’s likely need to bring it back to the City Council on other issues. “Everybody gotta come back and see you and eventually they’re going to need something else,” Burnett told alderpersons. “So I know that I’m sure they don’t want to see me upset in the future, that they’re going to keep their commitment for hiring people in our neighborhood. So I feel confident that this is gonna be OK.”
The casino zoning thus goes to the City Council, which could vote on it Wednesday.
Burnett has criticized unions in the construction trades for not providing enough opportunities for Black residents.
Bally’s executives at the committee meeting reaffirmed pledges that 46% of all contracts will go to minority- or women-owned firms and that 60% of hiring will go to minorities. Christopher Jewett, vice president of corporate development at Bally’s, said he is confident Bally’s can keep those commitments based on experiences in other cities.
The new zoning, if approved, would allow for a 500-room hotel, a 3,000-seat theater and event center and a riverwalk. The casino would get 4,000 gaming positions. But to start the project, Bally’s still needs the approval of the Illinois Gaming Board to operate in Chicago.
If it gets that, Bally’s intends to open a temporary casino in Medinah Temple, 600 N. Wabash Ave., perhaps next year. It hopes to have the permanent casino, a $1.7 billion investment, open in 2026.