Planning continues to advance for Danville’s proposed new casino. Thursday evening members of the Danville Area Planning and Zoning Commission heard from Tim Brangle of Chicago Consulting Studio who noted city ordinances will need to be amended….
{‘’Some of these uses are allowed as a right under B-3 (zoning), but, for example, gaming is not. As in most municipalities it’s not,’’ said Brangle. ‘’There’s other little things – like campgrounds are not under B-3, and yet we may look for some creative lodging and the like. Entertainment venues – be they live or outdoor performance based, are things that are kind of typical – particularly here with a 42-acre site – we might anticipate.’’}
Kerry Dickson, Managing Director for Vermilion Development, noted the plan will change because the casino developer has not been selected yet….
{‘’The person that’s really making the decisions hasn’t been selected yet. And you can’t make a commitment to that group at this point because the city’s negotiating certain things that you want that entity to provide to you to support the different economic objectives for Danville,’’ said Dickson.}
Time is of the essence since the developer must submit its proposal to the Illinois Gaming Board by October 28th.
Brangle says the decision on the developer is expected at the September 17th meeting of the Danville City Council. The proposed new planned development ordinance is expected to be ready for consideration by the Planning and Zoning Commission on October 3rd.
The casino district which is being proposed south of Interstate 74 at Lynch Road is expected to be developed in stages. Brangle says it will include a motel to go along with the casino….
Commission member Adam Brown says he thinks last night’s presentation was ‘’putting the cart before the horse’’ since the casino developer has not yet been selected. Two developers have submitted preliminary plans which are still being reviewed. Both propose placing it on a 42 acre site along the east side of Lynch Road, south of Interstate 74.
