Bally's Chicago's grand plan for a towering hotel at the Freedom Center casino site hit a snag, as city water pipes are forcing a significant shake-up. The Rhode Island-based company announced they're ditching the original blueprint for a 500-room high-rise that would have graced Chicago Avenue's skyline. In a statement obtained by the Chicago Tribune, Bally's Chairman Soo Kim confirmed, "We need to come up with a different way to build a tower because we can't now put it on Chicago Avenue."
Initially, Bally's plan, which saw the green light from city planners back in December 2022, was set to roll out the glitzy hotel alongside a sprawling entertainment district. Yet, now maps are being redrawn to plonk the 100-room base to the south, with a possibility of a shorter 400-room pillar, as Bally's scrambles to protect the city's underground infrastructure. According to Crain's Chicago Business report, these changes have surfaced significant concerns over whether Bally's needs to navigate another round of public review and raised eyebrows on why these problems weren't flagged earlier.
The site's revision has city representatives and community stakeholders reconsidering their strategies to cope with the potential uptick in traffic and congestion. Watching closely, residents and business groups worry that the displacement of 400 hotel rooms could bring more disruptions to River West. "It should require additional review," Jonathan Snyder, executive director of North Branch Works, told Crain's regarding the project's change. Snyder, also part of the Casino Community Advisory Council, is preparing for a meeting next week with Bally's officials to scrutinize the alterations.
Despite the upheaval, Bally's remains determined to keep its 2026 opening goal on track. The company reassures that as long as the initial 100-room component is built, albeit somewhere new, there won't be a delay. "There's no delay as long as we're building the 100 rooms somewhere," Kim explained to the Tribune. Even though grappling with the unforeseen infrastructure issues, the bets are still on for construction to begin later this year, with shovels expected to hit the ground as Bally's works closely with city officials on the reshuffle.
And there's no shortage of action at Bally's current operations. Nearly 350,000 visitors have already rolled the dice at their temporary casino, resulting in approximately $30.4 million in revenue, as reported by Chicago Tribune data. The sole responsibility for approving any changes rests on Chicago Zoning Administrator Patrick Murphey, under the already approved development plan. Nevertheless, given the stakes, the city's planning department hinted at possibly involving additional bodies for insight into Bally's fresh blueprint.
