People walk through Ward Park in the River North neighborhood of Chicago on May 4, 2022. Chicago Ave., where it plans to open a temporary casino within a year, pending state approval. Bally’s has a lease option on a former Tribune Publishing warehouse at 700 W. The plan requires demolishing the 41-year-old plant and relocating the Tribune printing operations to make way for building the permanent casino. And we’re going to turn our attention to trying to persuade as many members of City Council as possible to say no to this recommendation.”īally’s casino proposal involves an option to buy the 30-acre Freedom Center printing plant site in River West, which was acquired in 2019 by Dallas-based Nexstar Media Group as part of its $4.1 billion purchase of Tribune Media - the former broadcast parent of Tribune Publishing. “But we’re going to continue our process. “It’s very disappointing and discouraging for us,” said Brian Israel, president of the River North Residents Association. The park is across the river from the proposed casino site.
