Yesterday, Mayor Lightfoot announced that she has selected Bally’s Corporation to be the finalist, among five RFP respondents, to open a casino in the City, at the site of the Tribune Publishing Center, located at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. It was also announced that a temporary casino would open at the Medinah Temple, located at 600 North Wabash Avenue. 

Click on the links below for Alderman Reilly’s strong negative reaction to this announcement: 

• The Fran Spielman Show (Podcast)
• The John Williams Show (WGN Radio)
• Crain’s Chicago Business
• ABC Chicago
• Block Club
• CBS Chicago

Dear Neighbors, 

I am extremely frustrated by the announcements the Mayor made yesterday. It is clear that this process is not as thorough and transparent as was communicated. I am strongly opposed, and plan to vote “no” to the Bally’s Tribune proposal (and Medinah Temple temporary proposal).  

Nearly 1,200 downtown residents in the 42nd Ward completed a survey to communicate feedback about the Bally’s Tribune proposal; many more individuals contacted my office with additional comments. The vast majority of residents, 80%, are adamantly opposed to a casino opening in River North. I agree - the Tribune Publishing site is in an area of River North that is quiet and residential. It has a lot of traffic challenges that currently make it difficult to commute and traverse the area. It is not the appropriate place for a large entertainment venue.

I first learned about the proposal to open a temporary casino at the Medinah Temple when it was published in the Evaluation Report on March 22, 2022. I have already expressed my strong opposition to this proposal in a letter to Mayor Lightfoot. Furthermore, in 2017 I enacted a series of liquor license moratorium zones throughout River North (including the 600 block of North Wabash Avenue) that would prohibit new liquor licenses for non-restaurant operations. I do not intend to lift that moratorium to allow a temporary casino the ability to serve alcohol in this location. 

The casino should be used as an economic development magnet and job creation tool in an area near downtown and McCormick Place that needs a helpful boost in economic investment. The casino would have a positive impact on the creation of local jobs and amenities in neighborhood commercial corridors nearby. Downtown doesn’t need that rare economic opportunity, but plenty of neighborhoods could surely use that boost.

On March 23, 2022 the City Council established a Special Committee on Chicago Casinos to “have jurisdiction over all matters within the jurisdiction of the City related to the establishment of the Casino.” The Special Committee met for the first time on April 25th to hold a Subject Matter Hearing (no vote was taken); a recording of that can be viewed here. A lot of good questions were raised during the meeting, and we were told we would meet again to continue vetting the three finalists. 

The Special Committee is scheduled to meet again on Monday, May 9, 2022 at 11:00 AM, to hold a virtual subject matter hearing (again, no vote will be taken). The published agenda describes that the meeting will be held to “discuss the finalists selected to develop a casino in the City of Chicago”. A link to livestream the meeting will be added to the City Clerk's website on May 9 at 11:00 AM. 

I am disappointed in this process. It is unfortunate that the City Council was only presented with three proposals, and then it was narrowed down to one before the Committee provided a recommendation. I hope the City Council can resolve the proper location of Chicago’s first casino - but it does not belong at the Tribune site, and I will continue to fight and convince my colleagues of that fact. 

To operate an Adult Use Cannabis Dispensary, an Application for Special Use must be filed with the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). The ZBA will hold a hearing to consider the Special Use application, notice of which will be provided at a later date.

In advance of this hearing, applicants for Adult Use Cannabis Dispensaries are required to hold a community meeting to explain their proposal and gather community feedback. The following community meetings have been scheduled. Each meeting is hosted by the proposed dispensary operator. No RSVP is necessary. Please attend if you'd like to learn more:

PTS Corp in partnership with Bio-Pharm, has proposed to open a dispensary at 605 North Clark Street:

• When: Tuesday, May 10th at 6:00 PM (rescheduled from Wednesday, April 27th)
• In-Person: Maggiano's Banquets, 111 W. Grand Ave
• Via Zoom: Link to Meeting
• Meeting ID: 882 0928 7994
• Passcode: 392806

GRI Holdings, LLC has proposed to open a dispensary at 612 North Wells Street:

• When: Monday May 23rd at 6:00 PM (rescheduled from Monday, May 2nd)
• In-Person: Westin Hotel, 320 N. Dearborn
• Via Zoom: Link to be provided prior to meeting

Alderman Reilly may choose to offer an opinion on the proposed Special Use to the ZBA, but the ZBA ultimately approves or denies Special Use applications based on the criteria in the Chicago Zoning Code. The ZBA is an independent, quasi-judicial body that will consider all public input and is not obligated to give special consideration to comments from the Alderman or Police Commander.

Alderman Reilly is hosting an Electronics Recycling Event on Saturday, May 14, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The event will be held at 360 East Lower North Water Street (North side of North Water Street, between New Street and McClurg Court).

Newtech E-Scrap accepts most items. They do not accept projection TVs and there is a $20 charge for CRT Monitors and old tube TVs. 

A representative from Alderman Reilly’s Office will be present to address concerns or questions regarding city-related matters.

We look forward to seeing you at the Electronics Recycling Event!

Alderman Reilly is hosting a Community Shred Day on Saturday, May 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Ohio Place Dog Park located at 360 West Ohio Street.

Households are limited to two boxes and shredding materials will be accepted until the shred truck is full. Please remember to remove all paper clips, staples and other bindings.

A representative from Alderman Reilly’s Office will be present to address concerns or questions regarding city-related matters.

We look forward to seeing you at the Community Shred Day!

On Monday, May 9, McHugh Construction will begin demolition of Cassidy Tire located at 344/350 N. Canal Street. McHugh's contractor (Atlas) will demo the building from the back (south side) to the front (north side). The demolition is expected to last 2 months. 

Immediately after the demolition is completed, construction of the 33-story mixed-use building will begin. During demolition and throughout construction, McHugh Constriction will occupy the curb lane on the west side of Canal along 344/350 N. Canal Street's property line. The construction company has leased the area north of the building from the railroad to use as a staging area. Additionally, they will use the parking lot south of the building as a staging area too.

As a reminder, this project is contributing numerous public benefits. Click here for a list of public benefits, and stay tuned to Reilly Reports for future updates on this project and implementation of these public benefits.  

All work is expected to take 24 months to complete (weather dependent). 

Groom's Wedding Procession 

On Saturday, May 7, there will be a wedding procession in the Loop from 10:15am to 11:00am. Participants will step-off from 17 W. Monroe Street and disband at 124 South Wabash. 

Helicopter Lift: 1 East Wacker Drive

Midwest Helicopter was hired to lift HVAC units onto the roof at 1 E Wacker on Saturday, May 14 from 9am to 11am. During the lift, vehicular and pedestrian access will be prohibited at the following locations:

• State, from Lake to just north of the Chicago River
• Wacker, from Wabash to Dearborn

They will have detour signs and CPD in-place throughout the lift.

Adams Street Bridge

IDOT continues their work on the Adams Street Bridge over I90/94. On Sunday, May 1, IDOT began installed support beams for the Bridge during the overnight hours. This work will continue for 2 more weeks. 

Randolph Street Viaduct Repair

Starting Monday, May 9, CDOT will be repairing the Randolph Street Viaduct, from Columbus to Field. Work hours will be Monday-Friday, from 8am-5pm. 

Throughout the project, at least one lane of eastbound traffic will be open. Westbound lanes will not be disrupted. 

The project is expedited to be completed mid-July (weather dependent). 

Crane Lift 81 E Van Buren

On Saturday, May 7 from 9am to 4pm, LaGrange will be conducting a crane lift at 81 E. Van Buren. During the lift, Van Buren, from Michigan to Wabash will be closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. 

They will have barricades and flaggers in-place throughout the lift.

People's Gas Main Installation Project: Bellevue, from Lake Shore Drive to Rush

Beginning at the end of May 2022, Peoples Gas will install a 900' gas main on the south side of Bellevue Place, from Inner Lake Shore Drive to Rush Street.

The main will be installed in sections of 150'. Once the gas main is installed, service lines will be connected from the new main to each building on the north side of the street.

This will require trenching from the south to north side of the street. All work is expected to be completed by late July (weather dependent). Curb-to-curb restoration will occur in August. 

AT&T Fiber Optic Installation

On Monday, May 9, AT&T will begin fiber optic installation at Rush and Bellevue. They plan to trench at the following locations:

• Sidewalk on the north side of Bellevue, from Rush to the first alley east thereof
• First alley east of Rush on Bellevue, from Bellevue to a point 50' north thereof

All work is expected to be completed within three weeks (weather dependent).

People's Gas Rush & Bellevue

On Monday, May 16, Peoples Gas will begin installing a new gas main at Rush and Bellevue. Parking will be prohibited on the north side of Bellevue, from Rush to the first alley east thereof during the work. 

This project will last 3 weeks. 

Ida B. Wells Repaving Project

Resurfacing of Ida B. Wells, from Congress Parkway to Columbus began on Monday, May 2. The work will include ADA sidewalk improvements, curb and gutter removal and replacement, milling and paving the existing asphalt pavement and striping.

All work is expected to be completed by May 31.

ComEd Work: 710 N St Clair

Starting Monday, April 25, Meade Construction will be removing and replacing the ComEd Sidewalk Vault roof located outside of the buildings dock area.

They will break out the existing concrete roof and remove all of the debris. Once removed, Meade will install all necessary shoring, new rebar and pour a new structural roof and topping.

Throughout the project the sidewalk in front of 710 N Clair will be closed. Work is expected to take two weeks to complete (weather dependent).

Filmings

Justified Filming - 225 W Wacker

Justified plans to film inside 225 W Wacker on Wednesday, May 11. No filming will occur outside the building. They plan to prohibit parking at the following locations:

• Both sides of Franklin, from Lake to Wacker
• North side of Lake from Wacker to Wells 
• Both sides of Post, from Lake to Lower Wacker 

If you have any questions or concerns, please call Stefan Nikolov at 773-616-0007.

Chicago Fire

Chicago Fire plans to film Monday, May 9 and Tuesday, May 10. No special effects or loud noises. The plan to prohibited parking at the following locations:

• Both Sides Of Rush St From East North Water To Illinois
• Both Sides Of Hubbard St From State St To Lower Michigan Ave
• Both Sides Of Kinzie From State St To Wabash Ave 
• Both Sides Of Wabash From Kinzie To Hubbard

If you have any questions, please call Will Higgins 773-525-2326.

Power Force

On Friday, May 14, Power Force plans to film a walk and talk scene at Illinois and Cityfront Plaza. During the filming, parking will be prohibited at the following locations:

• East Side of Columbus from Jackson to Ida B Wells (Friday, May 13: 4:00AM thru 4:00AM of Saturday, May 14)
• Both Sides of St. Clair St. from Illinois St to North Water Street (Friday, May 13: 7:00AM thru 2:00AM of Saturday, May 14)
• North Side of Illinois St from St Clair St to Columbus Dr (Friday, May 13: 7:00AM thru 2:00AM of Saturday, May 14)
• Both Sides of Upper Illinois St from N City Front Plaza West 50 Feet (Friday, May 13: 7:00AM thru 2:00AM of Saturday, May 14)
• Both Sides Lower Lower Columbus from Lower Lower Wacker to Lower Lower Randolph (Friday, May 13: 4:00AM thru 4:00AM of Saturday, May 14)
• South Side of Lower Lower Randolph from Lower Lower N Field Dr west 400 feet (Friday, May 13: 4:00AM thru 4:00AM of Saturday, May 14)

If you have any questions, please call Danielle Weber (Location Manager) 773-277-8728.

Dearborn Bridge Work

CDOT has scheduled emergency work on the Dearborn Bridge to begin in early June. They will be conducting the following work:

• Replacing both sidewalks
• Replacing all of the bridge grating
• Replacing the beam structures 

The project is expected to last 12 months (weather dependent). 

The bridge will be reduced to one lane of traffic/sidewalk at a time. Bike traffic will be detoured to Clark Street.

Crane Lift: 7 West Monroe Street

On Friday, June 3 and Saturday, June 4 from 8am-8pm there will be a crane lift at 7 West Monroe Street. Throughout the lift, Monroe, from State to Dearborn will be closed to vehicular traffic. The crane will remain on-site during the overnight hours.

There will be barricades, detour signs, and traffic control on-site throughout the lift.

Gas Main Replacement - Michigan, Chestnut to Cedar

Peoples Gas continues it's gas main replacement on Oak Street/Walton Street, between Michigan Avenue and Rush Street. Work hours may vary throughout the project, but are currently anticipated to be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

All openings will be covered and secured during non-work hours. This portion of the gas main replacement is expected to be completed at the beginning of July.

Gas Main Replacement - Michigan, Monroe to Lake

On Monday, February 7, Peoples Gas began a gas main replacement on the west side of Michigan Avenue, from Monroe to Lake. Work hours will be 9am-4pm.

This project is expected to be completed in August 2022 (weather dependent).

214 West Erie Street Renovations

On Monday, December 13, Crane Construction began renovations of 214 West Erie Street. During construction, the following will be closed:

• Sidewalk/curb lane in front of 214 West Erie Street. The curb lane will be used as a pedestrian walkway. Crane Construction will place jersey barriers and ramps in the curb lane to protect pedestrians and provide wheelchair access. 
• Close 100' of the north/south alley adjacent to 214 W Erie Street. This is a T alley and residents of 222 W Erie will still be able to access their parking garage from the alley entrance on Franklin and Huron.

This project is expected to be completed summer of 2022 (weather dependent).

LG Construction: 751 N. Hudson and 451 W Chicago 

LG Construction has recently broke ground at 751 N. Hudson Avenue and 451 W. Chicago Avenue, which are adjacent parcels. Work hours will be 8am-5pm, Monday-Friday.

Throughout the project, the following will be closed:

• Sidewalk/curb lane/traffic lane of the east side of Hudson, from Chicago to the first alley south thereof
• Sidewalk/curb lane/traffic lane on the west side of Sedgwick, from Chicago to the first alley south thereof
• Sidewalk/curb lane on the south side of Chicago, from Hudson to Sedgwick

There will be a protected pedestrian walkway in the curb lane on the south side of Chicago Avenue, from Hudson Avenue to Sedgwick Street.

This project is expected to take 18 months to complete (weather dependent). 

354 North Union Construction

The Onni Group is constructing a 33 story residential building with 373 units. Work hours will be 8am-8pm, daily. 

Parking will be prohibited on North Union, from West Kinzie to the cul-de-sac west thereof throughout the project. All construction equipment and vehicles will be staged on the Onni Group’s property. This project will take approximately two years to complete. 

430 N. Michigan Lobby Renovation

Starting in mid-September, GNP Realty Partners will be renovating the lobby at 430 N. Michigan Avenue. Throughout the project, there will be a 40’ urban canopy on the sidewalk in front of the building. In order to place the canopy on the sidewalk, the planter bed and City Information Panel (CIP) at this location will be temporarily removed. Both the planter bed and CIP will be reinstalled upon completion of the project. 

The project is expected to be completed in May 2022. 

South Water Street Viaduct Replacement

In March 2021, the Chicago Department of Transportation began demolition of the South Water Street Viaduct, between Lower Beaubien Court and Stetson Street. Work hours are 8am-8pm, daily. 

As of May 10, vehicular and pedestrian access will be prohibited on the Upper and Lower levels of South Water Street, between Lower Beaubien Court and North Stetson Street. There will be barricades and detour signs in-place throughout the duration of the project. 

This project is expected to be completed in July 2022 (weather dependent). 

Overnight Parking Ban Downtown

Until further notice, overnight parking will be restricted on the following streets during the weekend:  

• Both sides of Oak, between Michigan and Clark 
• South side of Oak, between LaSalle and Wells 
• Both sides of Chicago, between Michigan and Wells 
• Both sides of Ohio, between Michigan and Wells 
• Both sides of Hubbard, between Michigan and Wells 
• North side of Illinois, between Dearborn and Clark 
• Both sides of Illinois, between Wabash and Dearborn 
• Both sides of Rush, between Grand and Ohio 
• Both sides of Rush, between Erie and Oak 
• Both sides of Wabash, between the Chicago River and Grand 
• Both sides of State, between Kinzie and Oak 
• Both sides of Erie, from Rush to Wells 
• Both sides of Huron from Rush to Dearborn
• Both sides of New Street, from Illinois to North Water
• Both sides of Columbus Drive, from Monroe to Balbo 
• North side of Wacker Drive, from Wabash to Michigan
• North side of Wacker Drive, from Franklin to Columbus 
• Both sides of Wacker Drive, from State to Wabash 
• Both sides of Stetson, from Randolph to Wacker 
• Both sides of Columbus Drive, from Randolph to Wacker 
• Both sides of Beaubien Court, from Randolph to Lake 
• Both sides of Randolph, from Harbor to Michigan 
• Both sides of Ohio, from Michigan to Fairbanks
• West side of Larrabee, from Erie to Huron

As always, please make sure to read all posted signage before parking your vehicle downtown.