A developer is considering moving a casino proposed in Matteson to a different location within town amid vocal opposition to the original site from Frankfort residents and officials.
A representative of the casino license applicant, Hinsdale-based South Suburban Development LLC, told Matteson officials Monday the casino and entertainment complex would be a great fit for the former Lincoln Mall property near U.S. 30 and Cicero Avenue.
“At your request our architectural firm studied a proposed alternative site at Lincoln Mall,” South Suburban Development representative Robert Miller told village trustees.
The 60-acre Lincoln Mall closed in 2015 and most of the mall buildings were demolished in 2017. Matteson officials a year ago approved a redevelopment plan for the site, now known as Market Square Crossing. Plans called for recreational facilities and pedestrian paths and a mix of residential and commercial uses built around a central open area.
“If the village requires us to relocate to that site, we think the Market Square Crossing site is a feasible location for the casino,” Miller said.
Initially, South Suburban Development proposed the casino and entertainment complex for vacant land at the northeast corner of Harlem Avenue and U.S. 30. The initial location was on the far western edge of Matteson, on its border with Frankfort.
“(The site was) just across the street from our village and very close to our residential and school community,” the village of Frankfort reported Friday in an update emailed to subscribers of a village newsletter.
The Frankfort Township Board sent a letter dated Dec. 3 to Illinois Gaming Board Chairman Steve Schmadeke expressing opposition to the Matteson proposal, saying it was across the street from three densely populated residential areas and two schools.
“This is an inappropriate spot to build a gaming facility, especially when there are other more appropriate locations nearby,” it read.
The letter said the proximity to schools violated the spirit of legislation allowing casinos in the state. The letter also raised concerns about costs and jurisdiction.
“A casino would lead to increased traffic and a strain on local infrastructure while providing no tax revenue to local governments west of Harlem Avenue,” the letter stated.
Frankfort Township Supervisor Jim Moustis is also a Will County Board member. The initial site prompted bipartisan opposition from Moustis, a Republican, and fellow District 2 board member Amanda Koch, a Democrat from Frankfort.
“While Will County has no direct say in where a Matteson casino would be built, our residents will be impacted,” Koch and Moustis said in a joint statement last month. “We urge the village of Matteson to consider their neighbors in Will County and the quality of life for our region as a whole when deciding the location of this casino.”
On Tuesday, Moustis praised Matteson officials for reconsidering the site of the proposed casino.
“I think that’s a great idea,” he said by phone of the proposed change in location. “I think that’s a much more appropriate site and probably much less expensive to develop because the infrastructure is already there.”
When Lincoln Mall closed, Carson’s continued to operate at the former mall site until it abruptly closed in 2018. The former Carson’s store was demolished last month.
“When we started down this path we did not know if we were going to get Carson’s,” Keith E. Lord, president and general partner of The Lord Companies, told Matteson trustees Monday. “Carson’s was still open. The rest of the mall was gone.”
Now that the former Carson Pirie Scott property is definitely able to be part of the project, the Market Square Crossing developer told trustees the casino would be an ideal use of the site.
“I think this would be one of the greatest things to join that site,” Lord said. “There’s plenty of land for everybody. The square can stay intact. We can get the residential in.”
The casino would perfectly complement the hotels and sports complex that are part of the development, Lord said.
Matteson officials in October approved plans for the proposed $300 million casino and entertainment complex that developers said would create 900 jobs and could be open by 2022. The village is partnering with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma on the proposal.
A spokesman for Matteson Mayor Sheila Chalmers-Currin said Tuesday the casino license applicant intended to approach the gaming board and request its application be amended to accommodate the proposed change in location.
A spokesman for the five-member Illinois Gaming Board on Tuesday referred to legislation that states, “an application may be amended only upon leave of the board.”
Matteson is one of four applicants in the running for a license to operate a casino in the south suburbs. Other towns in the sweepstakes are Calumet City, Homewood/East Hazel Crest and Lynwood.
Calumet City is fielding a proposal for a $275 million casino and entertainment complex on 20 acres at the River Oaks shopping center southeast of Torrence Avenue and 159th Street. The license applicant was Des Plaines-based Southland Live LLC.
Homewood and East Hazel Crest are partnering with Alabama’s Poarch Band of Creek Indians on a $300 million casino and hotel proposed for 24 acres southwest of Interstate 80/294 and Halsted Street.
Lynwood is partnering with the Ho-Chunk Nation on a $300 million complex proposed for a site northeast of Illinois 394 and Glenwood-Dyer Road.
The community awarded the south suburban license will keep 2% of monthly adjusted gross receipts, and 3% will be divided among 42 other towns. If a casino generates $150 million a year in gross revenue, as some have estimated, the host community would keep $3 million in annual revenue.
State lawmakers in June increased the number of casino licenses in the state after years of debate. Chicago, Waukegan, Rockford, Danville and Williamson County also will be home to new casino licenses, according to state law.
The legislation states the south suburban casino must be located in one of six townships: Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Rich, Thornton or Worth.
Applicants had to pay a $500,000 fee and submit proposals by Oct. 28. The law gives the gaming board up to 12 months to “process and determine eligibility for each applicant.”
The law allows up to 1,200 gaming positions at the south suburban casino. The law also allowed for a license for a horse racing track with gaming positions. The “racino” must be located within one of seven Cook County townships: the six eligible for the casino, plus Orland.
Illinois legalized riverboat gaming in 1990 and there are 10 casino licenses throughout the state.
A handful of people who spoke during public comment in Matteson Monday night expressed support for changing the location of the proposed casino to the former mall site.
Though Matteson trustees held a public hearing to gain input on the proposed change, trustees took no other action on the request and offered no comment or reaction. The Village Board is scheduled to act on the request Dec. 16, the spokesman for Chalmers-Currin said.
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