Mayor wants to develop site planned for casino
Now that the rusted steel girders once destined to be a casino finally have been dismantled, Rosemont is hoping to leave the failed Emerald Casino plans in the dust so it can add to its sprawling entertainment district.
Mayor Bradley Stephens said Wednesday he plans to meet with a Baltimore-based developer, which most recently proposed a $600 million casino resort at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. The Cordish Co. also is behind a massive mixed-use residential, retail and entertainment development planned around the new St. Louis Cardinals stadium.
Village officials still want a casino, but have offered the Rosemont Theatre as a site for a state-run facility.
Stephens said he plans to talk about a new development to tie into the village's new entertainment district, which last month welcomed a new multiscreen movie theater.
Isle of Capri Casinos, which had pitched plans for a casino in Rosemont at the former Emerald site, has renewed its bid for the state's last gaming license but only for 15 more days -- significantly shorter than its usual renewal, village officials said.
That gives the Mississippi-based firm until Oct. 15 to either abandon its quest or renew again, gaming board spokesman Gene O'Shea said.
Stephens said he considers this a sign that Isle of Capri, which owns and operates 13 casinos, is preparing to "walk away."
An attorney for Isle of Capri didn't return a phone call seeking comment.
"Hopefully, we recoup our land," Stephens said.
While the village still owns the property, it is tied up in a lease with the bankrupt Emerald. In late May, a state appellate court upheld a decision revoking a riverboat gaming license for the Emerald Casino in Rosemont. Attorneys for Emerald are appealing to the state's highest court.
Unlike its rivals planning a casino in Des Plaines, who let their request lapse, Isle of Capri has consistently renewed with the gaming board since it won a bid in 2004, O'Shea said. Those plans were blocked by the Illinois attorney general, who cited concerns about allegations of Rosemont mob ties.