Bally’s Chicago casino looms over manufacturing in River West – Crain’s Chicago Business

More residential density combined with nightly casino visitors could wreak havoc on traffic in an area that already grapples with congestion, says Steve Kersten, president of WaterSaver Faucet. The company has manufactured fixtures for life science research labs at its plant on the 700 block of West Erie Street since 1972, when it was "very much an industrial neighborhood," he says. His property is directly across the street from Bally's proposed campus on a stretch of Erie that is slated to become a major access point for casino vehicle traffic.

A combination of the casino and new development coming to River West "will make moving around here very difficult," says Kersten, adding that Bally's and city officials he has met with have told him there are plans in place to alleviate the issue. "I just don't know what those plans are," he says.

Christopher Jewett, vice president of corporate development for Bally's, said in a statement that the company has had more than 50 meetings with community and business groups, including River West's longtime industrial operators. Jewett said Bally's has committed about $75 million for infrastructure improvements in the area and plans to implement mitigation recommendations from a traffic study completed last year.

"We expect Bally's Chicago will positively impact the neighborhood and existing and future residents, and part of that is making sure we are responsive to community needs now and into the future," the statement said.

A Lightfoot spokeswoman said in a statement that a "casino-based entertainment complex is an entirely appropriate project" for the area and noted city officials have met and will continue to meet regularly with local businesses during the casino's construction.

As for resolving potential conflicts, Lightfoot will rely on land use guidelines laid out in the 2017 North Branch plan and the city's power to approve or block new developments, the statement said.

It's far from the first time the city has dealt with a neighborhood transitioning from its industrial past. Emanuel looked to reshape several factory-laden corridors to help boost the city's tax base, most notably in the Fulton Market District. After the city allowed more density in that neighborhood, many old-line meatpackers and food wholesalers cashed out with big checks in hand from developers looking to transform their properties.

The North Branch of the Chicago River has seen more drama. After years of fighting with the city over environmental violations, General Iron was forced to shutter its riverfront plant in 2020 and built a new facility on the Southeast Side. But that saga showed the perils of forced relocations: The city denied the company a new operating permit earlier this year as Southeast Side residents pushed back against becoming a landing spot for such a gritty business.

Wilson, a native South Sider and fourth-generation owner of Bigane, says she hasn't received any offers for her 6.5-acre site and stresses she has no intention of leaving River West. But if a proposal came along that was too good to pass up, she would shutter the business entirely rather than try to build a new plant that residents somewhere else might not want. "Who wants to go through that?" she says.

For now, she's hoping the Bally's investments will help fund long overdue infrastructure upgrades in the neighborhood, and that current and future mayors will protect companies like hers as River West evolves.

"We have 75 to 100 people that work here. These are good jobs. You can support a family on these wages," Wilson says. "Those are things I think we want to encourage the city to keep."

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Bally's Chicago casino looms over manufacturing in River West - Crain's Chicago Business