New hotel design approved for Bally’s Chicago

The hotel tower will be relocated from the north end of the site.

US.- Bally’s has announced that updated plans for its $1.7bn downtown casino in Chicago have been approved by the city. Site plans for a portion of the permanent Bally’s casino complex were revised to relocate 400 hotel rooms due to underground infrastructure issues at the original location. 

The hotel was originally to go on the north end of the plot near the Chicago River in a second phase of construction. The redesign places 100 hotel rooms in a three-story structure atop the casino complex’s northeast corner and he remaining 400 rooms in a second-phase building.

The revised plan involves only Planned Development’s (PD) Sub-Area A, which will accommodate 100 of the planned 500 rooms. The revision was reviewed by the Departments of Planning and Development, Transportation, Water, Fire, Law and other relevant City agencies as part of its approval by the Zoning Administrator.

A Bally’s Chicago spokesperson said: “Bally’s Chicago worked hand-in-hand for more than a year with various Chicago departments and agencies to adjust our site plan so essential infrastructure would be protected. Today’s approval on relocating the 100-room hotel above the casino adheres to all city requirements, maintains the same floor area ratio we committed to when Chicago selected Bally’s as its partner, and keeps us on track to start construction on time of our world-class entertainment complex in River West this summer.

Bally’s opened its temporary casino in November. The venue features 750 slot machines and 50 table games. The permanent Bally’s Chicago will be at the 30-acre Chicago Tribune Publishing Center at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street. The resort will feature 3,400 slots, 170 table games and 10 food and beverage venues.

Bally’s chairman Soo Kim has said the redesign would not delay the opening of the casino, which is slated for 2026.