Illinois Gaming Board Expected to Meet In The Coming Days To Grant a Southland Town A Gaming License
Village Of Matteson Primed And Ready For Stretch Drive Of Pursuit Of Southland Gaming License
Sheila Chalmers-Currin- Village President of Matteson, IL and the Matteson Village Board of Trustees are expressing joy concerning the monumental improvements made to the town as they prepares to present their case to the Illinois Gaming Board in hopes of landing the South Suburban Cook Gaming license.
The Illinois Gaming Board is expected to meet soon to select a southland town to granted an Illinois Gaming License.
Last fall, the Village administration was joined by South Suburban Development and representatives of The Choctaw Nation as they entered the offices of the Illinois Gaming Board to officially submit the plans for a casino in Matteson. This followed the action of the Matteson Village Board of Trustees who unanimously approved the plans for a casino in Matteson. The casino plan was approved 6-0 by the Village Board. “We felt the team led by the South Suburban Development and Choctaw Nation provided an excellent combination of experience, vision, community engagement, and a financially feasible plan” noted the Village President.
The 200,000 member Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is the third largest federally recognized Indian tribe in the U.S. and the operator of 22 casinos, 10,000 slot machines, 35 food and beverage venues, and nearly 1,000 hotel rooms. Janie Dillard, the tribe’s senior executive officer in charge of its multiple businesses said, “We’re honored with the chance to match our team’s experience with the community of Matteson and to create jobs and opportunity across the south suburbs.” Choctaw’s casino enterprise is one of the largest gaming enterprises in the world led primarily by female executives.
“I want to thank the Village Board of Trustees for their full support for a casino. This isn’t just about the Village of Matteson, but it’s also about the entire Southland region. We can now seriously discuss the possibilities of taking a portion of our gaming revenues to address the severe shortage of screening and preventive care in the Southland,” says Village President Chalmers-Currin.
The casino will be deeply integrated within the Market Square Crossing (MSC) at the northeast corner of Lincoln Highway and Cicero Avenue in Matteson, featuring 2,000 gaming positions, a high-end restaurant, food hall, a 200-room hotel and a 36,000 square foot convention space available for concerts, banquets and community use. Community engagement and partnerships with minority business enterprises (MBE) will be a cornerstone of this casino development. The team has already partnered with two MBE firms to operate an indoor golf facility and a family entertainment facility adjacent to the casino in the MSC development. The upscale food hall will include venues operated by local MBE eateries. The casino will also include a historical exhibit chronicling the multi-cultural history of Matteson, home of the 10th Governor of Illinois, Joel Matteson. The infusion of the casino into the MSC creates another opportunity as a destination for the south suburban region where the former Lincoln Mall once stood. The development will resonate with many Chicagoans who were regulars at the former Lincoln Mall during its glory days and capture new memories for years to come with the entertainment and sporting that this Urban Renewal project brings.
Much of Village President Chalmers-Currin’s efforts have been finding a resolve to the former Lincoln Mall site. In 2018, the Village President and the Village Board were joined by the master developer of the site, The Lord Companies LLC, U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelly, Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings, Illinois State Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin, Community Leaders and residents to announce the major new development plans for the former Lincoln Mall site.
The Village of Matteson owns the 60-acre site in which the master developer, The Lord Companies, LLC of Chicago created a flexible development plan with 14 lots positioned throughout the four-quadrant framework sectioned by roadways, bike, and walking paths. The redevelopment plan outlines housing units (condominiums) built into four-story buildings with commercial use at the ground levels. The redevelopment plan also calls for entertainment uses such as outdoor theater performance, concerts as well as indoor/outdoor sports tournaments. A master redevelopment plan was a top priority of Village President Chalmers-Currin upon being sworn into office in May of 2017, Market Square Crossing will be a diverse form of economic development that will bolster the viability of not only Matteson and the Chicago Southland. Village President Chalmers-Currin stated,” There is no doubt that our proposed site is the absolute best location in the southern Cook County for this project. It borders neighboring Will County and offers the total convenience of motorist through its unique access to I-57 and I-80”.
Keith Lord added, “A casino will be a wonderful addition to Market Square Crossing. Market Square Crossing is becoming a true community revitalization development with retail, community, sports/recreation and residential components. It will draw from Matteson, the entire south side and from other states. The casino will be an amenity, draw and community enhancement. Imagine coming with your athlete to Market Square Crossing for a multi-state high school sports tournament weekend. When your kids are at player only meetings, or mandatory “lights out”, the opportunity to have an adult entertainment option is a huge benefit. The casino will also add jobs, and tax income to help the Village long term. ”The proposed location of the casino site is accessible from two access points, Lincoln Highway and Cicero Avenue into Matteson off Interstate 57. Matteson is centrally located in the southern suburbs and 30 minutes away from other IL and competing casinos. The project is near other destination entertainment venues such as the Hollywood Amphitheater, Olympia Fields Golf Country Club, and Governor State Performance Theater, creating a hub for entertainment and a destination in the south suburban region.
The Village of Matteson has been experiencing an economic boom of sorts in its quest to change the economic landscape of the town. Earlier this summer, Village President Chalmers-Currin, Governor JB Pritzker, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Amazon representatives announced the giant distribution company would launch a new state-of-the-art fulfillment center in Matteson that will create more than 1,000 new, fulltime jobs, with industry-leading pay and comprehensive benefits starting on day one. This fulfillment center in Matteson will be the first of two facilities located in Cook County to feature Amazon’s innovative robotics technology. “The Village of Matteson is thrilled to welcome Amazon to our town. As a global leader of the rapidly growing distribution industry Amazon will now have access to our exceptional regional workforce, a very vibrant business climate and our continuing commitment to attract diverse forms of economic development. This particular project is clearly an economic engine that will attract hundreds of jobs to our town.” said Matteson Village President Sheila Chalmers-Currin.
It has been nearly a decade since the Village of Matteson has had its own full-scale grocery store. However, in 2018 the Village President and the Village Board of Trustees announced that Pete’s Fresh grocery store will locate and renovate the former Dominick's store on Lincoln Highway. The grocer is scheduled to open later this year!
When the Sam’s Club left the community, the Village board was bombarded with various media reports concerning the closing of the store. But the Village President refused to take “NO” for an answer. The Village President directed her team to get Sam’s Club back to the table. It was then after very intense negotiations that administration convinced Sam’s Club to not only return to the Village of Matteson but return with a more modern and diverse approach to doing business with an e-commerce facility. The Village of Matteson and Sam’s Club jointly announced the all new Sam’s Club E-Commerce Distribution Center that serves a 200-mile radius from the center to serve online shoppers. A year after the announcement of the new facility, a 125,000 sq. ft. expansion into the adjacent former Walmart building grew their operations and added more jobs to the community.
In addition, the Village has attracted other logistical companies and large expansions that are adding to the economic growth of the Village. But, not only are businesses finding Matteson attractive, so are individuals looking to purchase their first or second home. “It is extremely encouraging to know that there is a high volume of residents throughout Cook County who desire to reside in the Village of Matteson, stated Village President Chalmers-Currin. Just north of the Matteson Village Hall, the Village experienced the completion of a 300 single family and multi-residential project that was built ahead of schedule with a waiting list earlier this year. Currently, two other residential developers are building in the community as well as several other developers who have expressed interest in building more residential development in the community.
These developments with more on the horizon, promote a sense of pride throughout the south suburban communities by displaying opportunities to rebuild what was lost. The south suburban region can begin flourish into vibrant communities with more to offer through revenue sharing that will help build communities. These efforts combined with the casino places Matteson in a very unique position to qualify for a South Suburban Gaming License
