The Village Of Matteson Is One Of The Finalist For The Southland Casino
A rendering of the proposed Casino in the Village of Matteson. The Village is one of two finalists for the South Suburban casino license. Rendering provided by STH Media Sean Howard
By Tia Carol Jones
The Village of Matteson has been named a one of two finalists for the Southland Casino. The Village of Matteson made a presentation to the Illinois Gaming Board on October 13th. The Village Homewood is the other finalists.
There were four applicants for the South Suburban Owner’s License. Charles Schmadeke, chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board said it was not an easy task and each applicant had positive attributes. He added, the decision was based upon the Illinois Gaming Board’s statutory duties and standards that have been set.
“I also looked at the quality of the application and the extent of its development, the level of commitment of the applicant to the community, the level of commitment to the applicant from the community and just the general support, the level of community support is important,” Schmadeke said during the Illinois Gaming Board’s Oct. 20th meeting.
Schmadeke acknowledged the importance of finding a casino operator that understood how distressed the South Suburbs are and can provide jobs and help with the development of the distressed area.
Schmadeke chose the Village of Homewood and the Village of Matteson because they demonstrated quality in the development presentation and support to and from the local community.
The Village of Matteson plan would include a casino at the site of the former Lincoln Mall, as well as entertainment and retail. The land is already owned by the Village of Matteson.
There was 4-0 vote in favor of South Suburban Development LLC, which would be located in Matteson, obtaining the South Suburban Casino license.
“Matteson is a wonderful thriving community that has experienced tremendous growth under Mayor Chalmers-Currin's administration. Moreover, Matteson is prepared to begin casino operations on day one given the announcement of their temporary facility. I'm fully engaged and prepared in continuing to advocate for the great Village of Matteson,” said Illinois State Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin.
Sheila Chalmers-Currin, the President of the Village of Matteson, is set to meet with the staff and the developer to make amendments to the proposal. Now that the Village is aware that Homewood is the other finalists, the enhancements will be made to their proposal to make them the frontrunner. Once those amendments have been made, the Village will go before the Illinois Gaming Board again.
“We’re different from the village of Homewood in the fact that we have a shovel-ready site to start building there. We have a site where we can start to make revenue for the state, by using an alternate position of having gaming at the Holiday Inn,” she said.
Chalmers-Currin said the Choctaw Nation is a very big part of the Casino management. She has been on the phone with the developer and the Choctaw Nation.
"We’re honored and thrilled to be here. The Iillinois Gaming Board has done a thorough job under difficult circumstances. We look forward to demonstrating our community support, diverse team, and great project in the next round," said Rob Miller, of Miller Companies, a gaming investment firm.
Mayor Chalmers-Currin acknowledged the proposal has the support of the Southland Regional Mayoral Black Caucus and other mayors from surrounding suburbs.
“Our overall relationship with the community was a big plus for us. The fact that we already had community buy-in was definitely a factor, and the idea that we have so many Mayors that are supporting us and are a part of what we do here,” she said.
Mayor Chalmers-Currin believes Matteson is the best location for a Southland Casino because, based on a feasibility study, it is the farthest from the City of Chicago and that the Village is positioned in the right space to have a casino that works.
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