A temporary Bally's casino is set to occupy the Medinah Temple on 600 N. Wabash Avenue in Chicago, before moving to a permanent riverfront location on Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street.
Before it goes up, however, Bally's Corp. leaders and Chicago city officials held a community meeting at the Voco hotel in River North to address resident concerns.
Concerns included increased traffic in the neighborhood and job opportunities for minorities. Bally's Vice President of Corporate Development Christopher Jewett discussed job fairs and other community-based initiatives.
Tim Doron of Fish Transportation is a senior traffic consultant on the project presented findings in a report commissioned by Ballys on parking spaces surrounding the site.
Doran said: "Suffice it to say there is plentiful parking in the area." His report found the nearly 5,000-plus spaces in nearby garages would be "adequate" to cover the estimated peak demand of around 500 spaces during casino operating hours.
Doron also presented diagrams showing how the valet parking, loading and unloading zones, and ride-share systems, would operate on the streets surrounding the casino.
Some residents weren't convinced by Doron's report as members of the crowd shook their heads during the presentation. Reverand Lisa Hackney-James of St. James Cathedral, which is about a block away from the temple, was concerned about parishioners being able to find parking to attend Sunday services.
Hackney-James said: "I have families with children who drive down and drag their kids to church, and I’m wondering what assurance they’ll have that they’re not going to show up to a saturated parking situation."
Public safety was also a concern and details including private security and increased surveillance cameras were revealed during the meeting.
Chicago Police First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter added: "We’ve done everything we can to work collaboratively with Bally’s to ensure public safety in and around the venue."
